Changing Tides
by Atatami
Summary: After two years with no word, the leader of the Teen Titans, Robin, gets a message from Young Justice concerning a certain supervillian from Jump City. Although reluctant, he agrees to help his former team capture the criminal with the help of the Titans. Things obviously don't go as planned. Trust breaks, tempers flare, and old wounds are trying to be mended through the chaos.
1. Unexpected Calling Card

**Hey ya'll! This idea had been fiddling around in my mind lately, and I just needed to get it down on paper! (or text? Computer? Whatever!)**

 **I haven't seen really any fanfics branching this topic, so I'm happy that I may actually have a pretty original idea! Or maybe not. Maybe people just didn't write it down or something...**

 **Also, things will be slightly different in both the Teen Titans universe and the Young Justice universe. Once again, this takes place after season one of both Young Justice and Teen Titans, and I was forced to change things a little in order to make everything make at least some sense. (Basically, all things that happened in season one of Young Justice is cannon, as it had happened before the Titans. So, everything in the Teen Titans universe is a bit meased up.)**

 ** _Chapter 1: Unexpected Calling Card_**

The glimmering of the rising sun danced across the eastern sky, chasing away the darkness the night before brought. Rays of light glittered on the ocean water. The ocean was so still it looked like glass, that one touch would break the entire surface.

As the sun rose higher it illuminated the small island off the coast of the, normally peaceful, city nearby. The giant letter 'T' covered most of the island, the glass panelling on the outside reflecting the sun's rays back to the ocean water below.

Then the city began to finally wake up. What was once a miniscule amount of people and cars turned into a massive flock as night turned fully into morning. People filed out of buildings and houses, ready for another day of hard work. But through all of this bustling, only one of the residents of the Tower was awake to fully appreciate the morning in all of its elegance.

He sat at the edge, legs swinging back and forth at a rhythmic pace as he watched the sun rise over his city. A calm that he rarely felt swept over him as he observed the waking city, and for the first time in a long time, he felt truly at peace with the world around him.

There were no shouts, screams, gunshots, maniacal laughter, obnoxious laughter, or sirens of any kind. The only sounds were that of Jump City and the slight breeze that now blew through the air, disturbing the once still water.

He let out a large, content sigh, his eyes fluttering close behind his domino mask and a smile playing on his lips.

It felt good to finally have a moment of peace in his chaotic, superhero lifestyle.

But, sadly, like all good things, his peace must end. He did, after all, have a team to train and lead through the day if there was any crime that dared to take place in the Titans' city.

Somberly he picked himself up from off the edge and made his way to the door leading back down into the letter-shaped tower. As he decended, the teen took note of how quite it still was. Which, delightfully for him, meant no one had awaken yet.

Or, the two noisier occupants of the Tower were still sleeping soundly. Either one, Robin couldn't complain.

It wasn't that the ebony loathed the changling or elder teen. He just wished that this rare moment of peace could last longer than it had. And with Cyborg and Beast Boy, that was nearly impossible.

Robin stepped into the elevator, making his way to the kitchen and mission room. The annoying elevator music put a small damper on his mood, but overall, he was still more content than he had been in a while.

Honestly, he didn't know why Cyborg kept insisting they install that infernal tune.

He shook that thought off as the elevator let out a 'ding', the metal doors sliding open to reveal a large space occupied by kitchen supplies, a massive television, a computer, a long, green couch, and a few other additions to make the space feel more 'homey'.

Robin strode into the room with a small bounce in his step as he made his way to the small kitchen. Grabbing a coffee mug, he pressed the button on the coffee machine and waited as it prepared what he oh-so-graciously dubbed 'brown energy juice'.

He took this moment to further observe the room, and was a bit suprised to find a floating, cloak covered girl hovering above the coach. Her hood was down, and she was muttering silent words under her breath in a hypnotic metitation.

"Oh, hey Raven, good morning." Robin said cheerfully to the pale teen. She looked back at him for a moment, uttering a small 'good morning', before going right back to her meditating.

The ebony rolled his eyes slightly at her, then went back to watching as the mug filled up with the brown, almost pure black liquid. Finally, with a small noise to signify it had finished, he pulled the mug away before bringing it to his lips and taking a large gulp. He hummed in satisfaction as the taste.

The boy was almost always berated about putting creamer in the coffee, but he always refused. He preferred the pure, tart yet sweet taste of the coffee.

Holding his mug he left the kitchen and instead made his way over to the computer in the middle of the room. Raven still floated beside him, but they didn't acknowledge each other as Robin sat down on the couch and started looking through various things on the high tech device.

The first thing he looked through was the most recent news for the day. A leader of crime fighters always has to be alert and on the watch for suspicious activity, after all.

After finding nothing of importance, he moved on to see if any of the other Titans had contacted the tower. Seeing nothing from the other groups, he was about to close out of the window, when a new message popped up. Thinking it may have been some sort of trouble, as it was only labelled 'Titans', he clicked on it. As he waited for it to load, he took another sip of his coffee.

But, when whatever message it was did appear, and Robin glanced at the screen, he almost spit out his coffee in suprise. His eyes widened and he choked back his coffee, forcing himself to swallow, and looked back at the screen, bewildered beyond belief.

Raven peeked her eyes open for a brief moment to see Robins bewildered expression, then went back to meditating. All the while trying to supress a smirk at her leaders reaction.

On the screen, instead of a report or some sort of letter, was a video call. And who he saw on the other side made him stare with utter shock.

On the screen displayed his old team that he worked with while he was still Batman's partner. All of them had varying expressions of happiness as they saw there friend for the first time in almost two years.

"Hello, my friend, it is delightful to see you once again." Kaldur, who seemed to always be the one to break the silence, announced with a smile adorning his face.

Robin had yet to snap out of his stupor, so he could only mutter a small 'you too'. Although, to them it sounded more like a question.

But, after all, who could blame his utter shock. Standing before him was the team he had abandoned, including Artemis, Wally, Connor, M'gann, Kaldur, Zatanna, and Rocket. There were some people he didn't work with before, but had heard joined the team, such as Lagoon Boy and Wonder Girl.

No one said a word as they stared at each other in awkward silence as they all waited for the Boy Wonder to get out of his shock. But that seemed like an almost impossible feat.

Thousands of thoughts swarmed his mind, and it took all of his focus just to keep from looking more like an idiot than he already was.

It was almost a whole minute later that the ebony finally understood the situation, and his usual stoic expression, along with some slight anger, returned and he addressed the other teens on the screen.

"Why did you call?" he asked in a sharp tone, catching most of the teens off guard.

The original team members remembered a snarky, energetic kid who loved to goof around and almost always had a smile on his face, no matter the situation. This teen was definetely not that same person they grew to love.

"You're starting to act like you actually don't want to see us." Artemis stated with a bit of venom and sass. Robin simply glared at her, catching the teens off guard once again with his sharp and annoyed glare.

"To be perfectly honest, no, I'm not excited to see all of you. Happy, sure. But I'm more curious as to why you called. I have other business, you know." Robin replied, crossing his arms with a huff.

Lagoon Boy and Wonder Girl stood awkwardly to the side, not exactly sure what to do in the situation. So, with a small little nod to each other, they slunk their way out of the room to leave the others to talk with the Boy Wonder.

"Oh yeah, what 'other business?'" Connor asked gruffly.

But just as he was about to refute with his reason, he could hear two obnoxiously loud voices from the elevator. All he did was sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose, confusing the other team who couldn't hear anything.

Those two always picked just the right time to barge into a room, don't they? Note the sarcasm.

The elevator 'dinged' and immediately afterwards, the two friends strolled into the room, arguing. From the viewpoint of the Young Justice team, they could see a small green boy and a large half-robotic man who were basically screaming at each other.

"C'mon BB, we need some meat protein!" Cyborg exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air to emphasize his point. Beast Boy just stepped in front of him, an accusing finger pointed right at his chest.

"Now way! You do realize I have been all of those animals, right!? That's basically cannibalism!" the changling screeched right back.

"Would you two quiet down!?" Robin snapped, glaring at them over his shoulder, gaining the attention of the two who just entered the large room.

Beast Boy was about to counter, but then he caught sight of the computer screen. His eyes widened in amazement, and a large smile spread across his face. It would have made even Cheshire's mask jealous.

"Woah! It's you guys!" he exclaimed, abandoning Cyborg in favor of the team on the computer. He draped himself over the couch beside Robin, a glittering amusement in his eyes.

The team, on the other hand, only watched with mixed reactions. Some seamed flattered (Zatanna and M'gann), others seamed amused (Kaldur, Wally, and Rocket), and the rest were just annoyed by the green changling (Connor and Artemis).

"Beast Boy, be quiet, I am trying to meditate." Raven said in her monotone voice, not even opening her eyes. Beast Boy just scoffed.

"C'mon Rae! Do you even see who is on the computer right now?!" he screamed, flailing his arms. Raven simply sighed and teleported away. But Beast Boy took no note of this as he continued to stare at the heros in front of him.

"Can you please just go eat something with Cyborg?" Robin pleaded, placing a firm hand on the youngers shoulder. Beast Boy only shook his head.

"No way Rob! It's been forever since I've seen these guys!" at this, everyone who heard rose an eyebrow, even Robin.

"What does that mean?" M'gann asked carefully. Beast Boy only blushed out of embarrassment. Robin narrowed his eyes at the changling. He was acting very suspicious, and that isn't normally who he is.

"U-um, nothing! Just-just saw you on TV a w-while ago and haven't heard anything since!" he stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, not making eye contact with anyone.

Robin was definitely going to probe the boy for answers later. Especially since the team was covert and wasn't ever shown publicly. But for now, there was more important business to attend to.

Taking a deep breath, Robin faced the team once again, determined to get this over. And quickly.

"Back to my original question. Why did you call?" his voice was a bit softer this time, and the Young Justice team was grateful Robin didn't seem to entirely hate them.

"We are tracking an enemy, but we cannot seem to capture them. They seem to be always one step ahead of us. And we heard that the Titans have dealt with them quite well in the past." Kaldur said, getting straight into serious business.

"So you want our help?"

"Cool! We can totally help you!"

"Beast Boy, that hasn't been-"

"It'll be so awesome!"

"Beast Boy!" Robin said in a commanding tone, gaining the changling attention. He had a stern look on his face, and Beast Boy let out a sheepish laugh.

"That is, of course, if our leader says we can." he added quietly, but still had pleading eyes. Behind his mask Robin rolled his eyes, and looked back to the other team on the screen.

"First we need to know who it is, then I'll decide." Robin said after a moment of thought. The Young Justice team let out an almost collective breath that they didn't realize they had been holding.

"We are not sure exactly of the Titans history with him, but we have been told he is a worthy adversary by the League." Kaldur continued, explaining the situation as best he could. "But, if I may ask, why is there such minimal information on the Titans and Slade?"

At the last words, the whole room became tense. Even Cyborg, who had been preparing himself a breakfast, not really in tune to the conversation, stopped what he was doing at the mention of that retched name. Beast Boy's eyes widened in fear, and he hesitantly looked back to Robin, sliding down the couch slightly so only his head was visible.

Robin, on the other hand, was trying his best to control himself. His hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white at the thought of that man. His jaw clenched in fury, and he had to close his eyes as he remembered his days as the man's unwilling apprentice.

That time in his life scarred him. He still had nightmares, where Slade would mentally torture him until he completely lost his mind and joined the man in his killing spree. And even though it happened nearly two months ago, just the mere thought of what he was forced to do sent chills down his spine. He would rather die than experience that kind of torture again.

"Rob? You okay, dude?" Wally's voice asked through the computer, worry seeping into his voice. After a moment of tense and worried silence, Robin finally calmed down enough to answer without freaking out.

"No." he ground out, wrenching his eyes open and away from the images of his forced apprenticeship.

"What's wrong?" Zatanna asked, and it somewhat suprised Robin that she, of all his previous teammates, was the one to ask. And it seemed as if she actually cared, too.

She was always a good actor.

"We are not helping you catch that man." Beast Boy was about to rebute, but one very harsh glare from the Boy Wonder shut his mouth. He sunk back behind the couch more in fear, to the point where only his terrified green eyes were visible. "And that's. Final."

With this Robin angrily stalked towards the elevator, not bothering to shut the communication down. He grabbed his mug and took a quick sip, thinking it may soothe his growing nerves. All it really did was make him even more livid.

"Yo, you don't have to-" Cyborg began sympathetically, but was cut off as a mug was sent straight for his head. He managed to duck just in time, but the contents spilled over his body, making some of his parts spark. He looked over at Robin in slight shock and anger. "Not cool man!"

The ebony said nothing as he silently walked into the elevator and closed the doors, disappearing to somewhere else in the tower.

The team on the screen just watched in stunned silence as they watched their previous teammate walk away from them. This left Beast Boy and a now slightly sparking Cyborg to try to clarify the situation.

"Why did Robin react so violently?" M'gann asked, her shock and worry very evident in her voice. Beast Boy's pointed ears perked up and he leaped over the back of the couch to where the Boy Wonder had previously been sitting.

"Well, a couple of months ago Slade-" the changling began, but was quickly cut off as a large hand was placed over his mouth by a panicked Cyborg.

"That's not our story to tell, BB. Just leave it be for now." he said softly, the changling huffing and pushing his hand away with a simple 'fine'.

"May I ask who you are?" Kaldur inquired, and the two teens realized they had momentarily forgot that they had never met these people before in their lives. In fact, they didn't even know Robin was apart of another team before the Titans.

Well, one of them was, but he was determined to keep that information a secret.

"Name's Cyborg, the Titans second in command if anything happens to Rob. And I'm guessing you already know Beast Boy."

"It is delightful to meet you, Cyborg. But, I believe we would all like an explaination for Robins sudden behavior-"

"Yeah! Rob's never acted like that before! What's up with him and this Slade guy?" Wally interupted, earning him a slight slap on the back of the head from Artemis. Cyborg simply sighed and sat down beside Beast Boy.

"I don't think Robin would appreciate it if I told you guys, so you'll just have to get it out of him some other time. But for now, I'll just say there is a reason there isn't a lot of public news on Slade. And Robin would like to keep it that way." he stated grimly, looking at the teams dissapointed faces in guilt.

"Those two have bad history, huh?" Rocket asked softly, and Beast Boy nodded.

"Worse than bad." he stated, looking over to Cyborg with a pitied glance, in which the elder returned.

"I do hope Robin changes his mind about lending your assistance. It could be quite helpful." at Kaldur's words, Cyborg gave a sly smirk.

"Don't worry, we'll be helping you, whether Robin likes it or not. After all, heros need each other sometimes, don't they?"

With Cyborgs proclamation, Kaldur gave a small smile.

"Yes, indeed they do." the communications cut off, and both of the teens leaned back into the couch with sigh. Both were thinking along the same lines as they glanced at each other.

How in the world were they going to convince Robin to work with Young Justice?


	2. Reluctance Aka Stubborness

**_Chapter 2: Reluctance; Aka Stubborness _**

"Friend Robin, is everything the Oh Kay?" the strawberry haired girl questioned in a worried tone. She stood in the doorway to her room, looking down the hallway to see a furious Robin trudging toward her.

He didn't reply, storming past her, leaving a slightly hurt Starfire behind.

"Robin, what is wrong?" she tried once again, eager to help her friend in distress. Her distressed tone made the ebony stop, but he did not turn around as he answered.

"I'm fine Star, just go eat some breakfast."

Starfire felt a bit hurt that her dearest friend would not talk with her, let alone face her. This did not deter her motive, however, and she was now more determined to find out what was wrong with Robin.

"I can clearly see that you are not fine. Please, what is on your mind?" she asked, her tone dripping with determination and a desperation to help her clearly distressed friend.

Robin, on the other hand, didn't mind the girl trying to help him, but really wasn't in the mood for company. All he wanted was to be alone to digest the information that was just given to him.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ignore the beautiful Tameranean behind him. So, albeit a bit begrudgingly, he turned around and faced the girl with what he hoped was a neutral, but calm expression.

"Really Starfire, I'm fine. I just...need to be alone for a little while, okay?"

The alien girl paused, a bit reluctant and suspicious of Robin, but nodded when she recognized the teens pleading look.

Robin nodded slightly in return, turning back to make his way to his room. Where he knew nobody would dare try to interrupt or disturb him. Everyone in the Tower knew that if the Boy Wonder was in his queit space, no one should disturb him. If you didn't want the possibility of getting a bird-a-rang thrown at you, that is. The only exception was Starfire, but the teen could sometimes explode with her, as well.

He stalked back to his room, not as furious as he was before. The teen figured it was because of his little talk with Starfire, as she always had a way of cheering him up, even if it was only her presence.

The thought had a blush creeping up to his cheeks, making him move even faster to get to the blissful isolation.

Finally he saw the familiar door, and after he entered the password, it opened with a familiar hiss. He quickly stepped inside and the door automatically shut behind him. When shut, he leaned back on the metal door and put his face into his hands with an irritable groan.

Why, after such a beautiful start to the day, did the past have to creep up on him? It seemed as if luck would never be on his side.

Robin angrily thought that Slade knew what he was doing. After the failed apprenticeship, he decided to go stir up trouble in other cities, where he knew people of Robins past were located.

The teen knew it was only to grab his attention, too. All he wanted was to be on Robins radar once again, and what better way than to go to the people he once affiliated with?

He had no idea if Slade knew they would call the Titans, but with his enhanced intelligence, there was a very high probability. And that was one of the many reasons he refused to help his former team.

Robin knew that it was Slades way of saying 'let's have a rematch, apprentice', and he refused to indulge the man and his sick games.

Rubbing his face, he lazily walked over to his bed and ungracefully fell down onto the mattress. He face-planted into the comforter, taking a deep breath of the fabric softener he used. Flipping around, he let out his breath in a deep sigh, a slight feeling of longing filling his mind.

The softener he used on his sheets was the exact same as the one Alfred used at the Manor. And while it made him undeniably homesick, it also brought a warming comfort.

He made a slightly irritated huff as he continued to think about his years in the Manor, coming up with her another reason he shouldn't leave Jump and help his old team.

Batman. Or, in civilian identity, Bruce Wayne.

There would be no doubt that if the Titans did help, Batman would also be there to help orchestrate the mission. And frankly, just the thought of facing his ex-mentor brought a queasiness like no other to his stomach.

Robin visibly cringed at he thought of how they left things when he ran away. Or, more accurately, how he left things back home. Bruce did try to talk with him after their fight, after all, and it was Robin who refused to answer his calls. Then, the gash between them only deepend when Batman didn't come after him. It ripped his heart to pieces, but in all honesty, wasn't all that surprising.

He shook his head to rid him of his despaired thoughts, closing his eyes as he continued to sift through his choices.

Robin had no doubt that the Titans were willing to jump at the chance to meet the Young Justice team. It clearly showed by the present teens action when they contacted them. The ebony hated that he had to disappoint them like this, especially Beast Boy, who was really still just a kid.

But, alas, the possible repercussions (not to mention emotional trauma) were just too great a risk. And, as the teams leader and therefore voice, he couldn't risk anyone getting hurt, emotionally or physically.

'Yeah, just keep telling yourself that to make you feel better, Grayson' his subconscious told him. And he couldn't help but feel that it was right.

He wasn't reluctant to go help Young Justice simply because it could possibly be dangerous. No, his reasons were much more pitiful and selfish than that.

To put it simply; he was scared. Not because he was worried that the Titans and Young Justice wouldn't get along. He was sure that most of them would hit it off instantly.

Instead, he was scared of how his old friends, and more importantly, how Batman would react to him. He had changed a lot over the years, after all. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. His former team had caught a small glimpse of these things from the transition message.

After he left to go solo, he morphed from the joke cracking, mischevious, and sometimes annoying teen to, basically, a mini Batman. He did have a slightly more varied emotional range, however. Not to mention the temper he had harbored through the last year. Robin had absolutely no clue what triggered it, but it hurt all of his relationships, especially his one with Starefire. The smarter and more nefarious villains also twisted his anger to make him sloppy and less careful about his attacks.

Slade used that one on him almost too much.

Robin suppressed a shiver as the man's haunting words seemed to chant in his head. During his time as his apprentice, he was constantly told that he needed to control his temper. In result, it only made him even more furious, much to Slade's delight.

The ebony mentally checked off another reason why it would be a bad idea to help the Young Justice team. Slade was extremely manipulative, and he would no doubt try to anger him after he defeated the other teens.

And releasing his anger like that would only show his weakness, and it was trained into from an early age to never show weakness out in the field. If he were to face Slade, it was guaranteed that the man would humiliate him in front of all of his friends. Robin refused to even entertain the thought of that.

Before he knew it, Robin found himself dozing off as the stress was finally catching up to him. His thoughts continued on this same track as he went in and out of a fitfull sleep, waking everytime the image of his scowling mentor fluttered into the forefront of his mind. The ebony became so lost in sleep and unpleasant thoughts that he became oblivious to the arguing emiting just inches away from the metal door.

"C'mon! What are we gonna say?" Beast Boy asked eagerly and he spared a hopeful glance at the larger teen beside him. Cyborg only gave him a curious downwards look.

"'We'? Oh no, I'M going to try to convince him. There's no way he'd listen to you."

The changlings draw dropped to the ground.

"WHAT!? No way! I'm going to talk with him too!"

"How about both of you shut up and I can do the talking, since there is no way he'd listen to your arguments."

Both boys jumped, startled, and spun around to face the girl who had spoken. They both looked at each other a bit sheepishly, then turned back to the pale empathy in front of them.

"Uh, good idea, Rae. You're better with emotions and stuff after all, right?"

Raven face Beast Boy a hard glare. His eyes widened, and with a small noise of fright, he ran out of the room in the form of a goose. Cyborg stared after him for a moment, before letting loose a small, nervous laugh and following the younger down the hallway.

The girl sighed, a bit in irritation, but mostly in relief. Now that they were gone, she had a much better chance of getting through to her seemingly fearless leader.

She dropped down to the ground and took a hesitant step towards the door. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she raised her hand. Inches from the door her hand paused, and she questioned whether it was a good idea to disrupt Robin in his room. On any other occasion, the other teen would either not answer the door or say 'go away'. But something deep down told her that Robin needed some consoling, and leaving him alone to his thoughts would only make things worse.

With new resolve, Raven rasped her hand on the door three times, and waited a few seconds. When she was met with silence, she knocked again.

"It's me, Raven." she said, and with how soft her voice was she doubted that the ebony inside even heard her as seconds of silence ticked past.

Then, finally, she heard the springs of a mattress sqeak and the door flew open in front of her. Robin looked at her with a blank and neutral expression, but his façade was easily seen through by the empath. In fact, his emotions seemed almost out of control, going from angry, distressed, to almost sad in a matter of seconds.

"Robin, are you okay?" she asked, and she managed to catch the faintest look of fear and nervousness flash on his face. It was quickly covered up by his neutral mask, however.

"Yeah, just a lot to take in at the moment." his reply almost seemed forced, and Ravens lips creased in a thin line as she continued to further feel his range of constantly changing emotions.

"You don't have to lie to me, you know. It won't get you very far. Maybe it could work with the others, but I can feel that you are far from 'okay'."

Robins face turned downcast, and he said nothing in response. He let out a large sigh as his shoulders hunched together in an almost defeated look.

"Do you want to talk?" Raven asked carefully, not really sure what she was doing anymore. She only knocked on his door because his emotions were making her distracted, after all. Plus, she wasn't exactly a people person, and she definitely wasn't one to console people.

The ebony was quiet for a moment, before he stepped aside from the doorway. Raven took this as an 'okay'to enter his room, and she quickly stepped inside, the door automatically shutting behind her.

Robin moved to his bed without a sound, sitting on the edge and burying his head in his hands. Raven paused for a moment, unsure of what to do, and settled on going to sit next to him. She sat down next to him, close enough that she was almost involuntarily flinching from the sudden tenseness that caused through the other teens body,

"Robin?" she asked, leaving the rest of her question unspoken. But luckily Robin seemed to understand what she wanted. He let loose a sigh, bringing his hands up into his hair, gripping the raven strands.

"I'm...I'm scared, Raven. Of what would happen if we did go..." he muttered softly, Raven having to lean in to hear the whole sentence. She gave him a slightly worried and pitied look.

Raven may not have been in the room throughout the whole communication, but she managed to pick up what was happening through Cyborg and Beast Boys annoying chatter as they were walking towards Robins room. She knew that all of the teens feelings were completely justified. Him, out of everyone, had every reason to be scared of Slade.

"Slade won't be able to get to you, you'll have your previous team and us to back you up. If he wants to get to you, he'll have to go through all of us." she reassured him, but to her confusion, Robin shook his head slightly.

"It's not that. Sure, I'm hesitant to go up against him, but the thing I am most afraid of is...is..." he couldn't finish his sentence, but he didn't need to. Raven already knew what he meant.

"Robin, they will still accept you. You may have changed, but it's still you. And if they can't see that, then they were never your friends in the first place."

"Batman." he whispered, and Raven was a but taken aback by the name. That name specifically was Taboo anywhere near the Boy Wonder, anytime the man was mentioned a scowl would form on Robins face. And, if it was a person who mentioned him, they would be attacked by at least three bird-a-rangs. Beast Boy would know.

"You're afraid what he will think?" Robin nodded his head at this, and Raven lifted her hand and put a comforting hand on the ebony's shoulder. "Don't be." she said simply, and Robin gave her a curious glance through his mask.

"Why shouldn't I be? With the way we left things, I wouldn't be suprised if he even acknowledged me anymore." Raven sighed at his response, and gave his shoulder a small squeeze.

"Well, from what I gathered he's like your father, if he isn't actually. And any father would be ecstatic to see their son again after two years. Even if things between them were a bit rocky. And if we go, and we do see him, you don't have to talk with him if he doesn't initiate any conversation. We can just work on the mission, and then we'll be back in Jump in no time."

Robin perked up slightly at this, and gave the girl a small, grateful smile. But just as soon as it was there, it turned into a frown.

"That's true, but I'm still reluctant to go, you know." Raven was the one who found her lips curling into a smirk at this.

"No, you're just too stubborn to let bygones be bygones." she stated matter-of-factly, and the ebony beside her couldn't help but let out a small laugh at her proclamation.

"Yeah, I guess I am pretty stubborn sometimes." he admitted, his look softening into one of gratitude. "Thanks, Raven. I know that your not much of a people person. I was honestly expecting Starfire, not you. But, this was nice."

Raven released her grip on his shoulder and stood up from the bed, Robin following suit and they looked at each other with warm smiles.

"It was no problem." she stated simply before walking back over to the door. It opened with a 'hiss', and she stepped out of the room.

"And Raven?" Robins voice said as she was about to step further away. She looked back and rose an inquisitive eyebrow. "Better start packing."

With one last look, the door to Robins room slid shut, and Raven started to make her way to her own room to do exactly what her leader said.

The Young Justice base was across the country, after all, and she knew she would definitely need extra meditation things if she was to be stuck on a jet with the two most annoying members of the team.

 **Well? How 'bout it? Like it so far? I know not much happened in this chapter, but it was necessary for some of the plot. Also, it may seem like I was going into some RobRae territory, but there will be no ships in this book besides Artemis and Wally, who are a completely confirmed couple. I just like to think Robin and Raven have a really close relationship with all of their secrets and their sorta distant attitude towards most things.**

 **Well, that's all! See Ya!**


	3. Regular Reunion Special

**Yes, the Titans have a jet, okay? I just couldn't see them taking the T-Car all the way across the country. Also, just a little thing before we start, I actually had no idea how to spell La'gaan's name at first, so I guessed. It wasn't until after I wrote the chapter and was editing it that I looked up his name and I was SO HAPPY BECAUSE I GOT IT RIGHT ON THE FIRST TRY.**

 ** _Chapter 3: Regular Reunion Special _**

Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire were practically bouncing in their seats as their jet crept ever closer to Happy Harbor, Rhode Island. They could see the large mountain known as Mount Justice appear out of the clouds, and Beast Boy had to repress a squel of excitement.

Starfire looked out of the window with wide, green eyes. When she also caught sight of the enormous mountain, she turned to her leader with an excited smile.

"Is that not the Mountain of Justice, Robin?"

Said person only fidgited in his seat and took a quick glance out the window. He saw the green, tree covered mountain and his hand gripped the armrest a little tighter.

"Yep, that's it." he managed to get out, and Starfire smiled brighter, oblivious to her friends nervous and erratic behavior. She turned back in her seat gleefully and watched the scenery fly past once again.

Robin, on the other hand, could barely compose himself as the mountain ahead seemed to loom over the town below it. He never remembered it being that big, and with a nervous gulp, settled for turning away from the window, thinking about how he ended up in this predicament.

After his conversation with Raven, he made the decision resolute to help his former team. The rest of the Titans had been ecstatic, and couldn't hold in their excitement even as Robin sent the message of them accepting their offer. Surprisingly, the message back had been imidiate, saying that they were overjoyed to have their help in this case. The team insisted that their involment would help immensely.

So here he was, in the T-jet flying towards what he used to call his second home. He should have been excited. Robin would be seeing faces that he hadn't seen in two years, and some that were new to him.

But instead he was a jumpy ball of nerves, for once not being able to control what emotions rose to the surface. If any one of his teammates was actually paying attention to him, they would be quite suprised to observe his erratic behavior that wasn't accustomed to the leader of the Titans.

Under his gauntlets, Robin's hands were slick with sweat, and he tried hard to resist the urge to take them off to wipe his hands. His forehead was in a similar state, but every few minutes he found himself reaching up to wipe the salty substance away. It seemed to become a habit with the long ride to Happy Harbor, but once again, not one of his teammates seemed to notice through their own blissful excitement.

It made him jealous. Here was his team, all of them giddy with unchecked excitement as they flew across the country to meet people they had never seen before. Then the person who was familiar with them was getting to the point of a complete mental breakdown because of his own nerves.

The only one who seemed to slightly catch on to the growing pit of unease in his stomach was Raven, most likely feeling his emotions in the confined space. Once in a while she would cast him a sideways glace from where she was meditating, but then continued to do her own thing without comment. For this, Robin was slightly greatful, as it seemed at least one of his friends had a glimmer of an idea of how nervous he actually was.

It wasn't so much as his friends he was worried about seeing, but his mentor. He prayed to any God's that may have been listening that Batman would chose to remain sparse until he had a firm grasp on the stressful situation.

Finally, the jet rested over a small clearing near the base of the mountain. After a couple seconds of waiting there was a barely audible metallic hiss, and the ground opened up to reveal a small cavern with a metal floor. The aircraft slowly lowered itself down, Beast Boy giving a excited whoop when the landing gear touched the floor of the hangar.

Glancing out the window Robin caught sight of the Team. He unconsciously sunk back in his seat as the happy and ecstatic faces looked towards the jet, which was still powering down. It was then that Robin noticed how much the Team had changed.

M'gann now had a butch haircut instead of her flowing auburn hair, and it appeared that she was also more physically mature. She had also adorned her cloak, and Robin fleetingly wondered if it had become a more intimidation factor than fashion sense. Then there was both Wally and Artemis, who overall, hadn't really changed. There was some facial differences as their physical appearance matured, and they seemed to be a bit taller, but that was about it. Raquel, Connor, and Kaldur on the other hand held little difference from when he last saw them in person. Finally, there was Zatanna. She looked more mature, maybe a bit taller, but Robin didn't give her a second glance.

Out of all that he was nervous and jittery about, seeing Zatanna again was not one of them. He couldn't care less if she liked or loathed the new Robin. And if she somehow thought that Robin would treat her like he did all those years ago, like nothing happened, she was sorely mistaken.

Then he caught sight of the two newer members, Lagoon Boy, aka Lag'aan, and Wonder Girl, aka Cassandra 'Cassie' Sandsmark. And, yes, he had done research on those two before flying out here.

Blame the paranoia for strangers, for that one.

He was going to just ignore them, as he wasn't planning to stay long enough to get a proper friendship going with the two of them.

The jet finally powered down, and as soon as the doors opened Beast Boy flew out in the form of a Capuchin monkey, with Starfire quickly bolting out the hatch, right on his tail.

"Hello, new friends! It is absolutely delightful to be here!" the Tameranean exclaimed, getting a little too close for comfort and Beast Boy landed on her shoulder and let out an excited screech.

"I can practically feel the rainbows coming off of her." Artemis muttered under her breath, earning a sharp jab in the ribs from Zatanna, who sent her a slight glare when the archer looked at her in question.

"You worked with friend Robin before he created the Titans, did you not?"

"Sure did, babe." Wally said, getting a sharp glare from Artemis for the pet name. He laughed sheepishly, while diverting his gaze from the two of them.

"Oh, that is glorious! He is one of the best of friends!"

"Are you his girlfriend?" Zatanna asked out of the blue, and the Team looked at her a bit shocked, while Starfire seemed confused. Beast Boy jumped down from her shoulder, morphing back to his human form, while a mischevious and curious glint entered his eye.

"I...am his friend, yes, and also a girl. Why do you ask?" Beast Boy looked up at her, a wide, goofy grin spread across his face.

"She means are you dating him, Star." the changling explained, and a blush quickly enveloped her face, both at the notion and her own naivety.

"No, w-we are not in that form of relation. I do not believe Robin has the 'girlfriend'" she quickly stammered, and the Team looked at each other knowingly. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason." the magician answered, although there was an almost smug tone to her voice.

Back in the jet, Cyborg was finally done with shutting down all of the jets functions, and hurriedly went out to see the Team. He took no notice of Robins frozen form, or the fact that Raven hadn't exited the jet yet as he went to get properly acquainted.

"You sure you're ready?" the empath asked quietly as she took in Robin's rigid body still glued to the seat.

There was a solemn silence, and then Robin took a deep breath before letting it out. His chest puffed out just the slightest bit, he stood from the chair and faced Raven.

"No, but I can't just keep them waiting." he started towards the hatch of the jet, but before he could even catch a glimpse outside a shrouded cloak was in his view.

"Robin, you don't have to do this if it will be too stressful. Don't think that just because the others want to meet your other friends that you have to go through with it. It's not too late to go home."

"Raven, I get it, but I can't just back down now. Besides, as a hero, I vowed to help anyone who needed it, and whether I like it or not they _do_ need our help with this one. Sure, I may not exactly be thrilled about who they are tracking, but I can handle it, really." Raven gave him a very sceptical look, a warm smile graced his features. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Even as he said it, Robin knew that the words weren't true, and it seemed so did Raven. But instead of pushing it further she simply turned slightly, and gently started to float out of the jet.

Finally steeling himself, he took one more deep breath before hurriedly following the empath out of the hatch; and into the awaiting fire.

As soon as he exited, all attention seemed to be diverted to him. It was as though a beacon had been set up as soon as his feet hit the pavement floor of the hangar. And Robin could barely take the attention, intentionally diverting his eyes in a very shy, very 'un-Robin-like' way.

As he walked closer, the ebony could practically feel his previous teammates burning stares. They seared into his skin and it was all he could do to not curl up on himself.

But luckily, Starfire presented a brief dip in ice water as she flew over the the leader with a beaming smile on her face, Cyborg and Beast Boy following closely behind her.

"Robin, why have you never told us about your other friends? They are delightful!" she exclaimed, while the boys behind her nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, man, why didn't you tell us you were on a team before the Titans? I mean, it wouldn't really matter that much, but it would have been nice to know." Cyborg asked, sending very questioning look at him, as did the other two.

Robin opened his mouth to answer with some half-truth or excuse that they wouldn't question, but the girl floating beside him answered for him.

"People are entitled to keep things from those they hold close, and you should respect Robin's choice to do so."

Every Titan looked at Raven, relatively shocked, while the other teen superheroes could only look on confused to the reaction. Raven only raised a quizzical eyebrow at her fellow friends and teammates.

"What?" she asked flatly, shrugging her shoulders slightly. Robins lips twitched upward and he saw the other Titans mumbling their excuses. He cast a sidelong look at Raven, who merely shrugged once again and started floating closer to the other team.

Robin followed behind, shadowed by his friends as they walked together as a team. This brought out some more confidence, and more of the Robin everyone was used to started to shine through the nervous, anxious kid that was just before them.

Everyone gave Robin a warm smile, and the Boy Wonder felt himself replicating the action. Kaldur held out a hand to the Titans leader, and Robin confidently took it giving it a gentle shake. All of the apprehension he had seemed to completely disappear as he shook the hand of his previous team leader.

"Welcome back, Robin. We are thrilled that the Titans have chosen to help us, as we are having quite the trouble. With your experience, we will surely have this Slade behind bars in no time."

Robin gave a quick, curt nod before letting go of the Atlanteans hand. His smile was a bit forced now, as even the mention of the man's name was enough to set him on edge, but he held up the friendly front.

"Well, I guess it's time for some proper introductions." Robin announced, and gestured to his friends standing behind him. All of them seemed to stand straighter and prouder at the statement, which didn't go unnoticed by some of the members of the other team.

"This is Cyborg," he gestured to the cybernetic teen, who gave a slight wave at his introduction. "Beast Boy," the changling's smile was bordering on being as wide as the Joker's at this point. "Raven," the empath merely took off her hood and studied the people before her with a scrutinizing gaze, making some of them shift uncomfortably. "And finally, Starfire." she gave her brightest smile and started to float in the air slightly at her introduction.

"It is nice to meet all of you," Kaldur began, "I am Aqualad, but you may call me Kaldur off of the field. This is Superboy, also known as Connor, M'gann, Artemis, Kid Flash or Wally, Zatanna, Rocket, Wonder Girl, and Lagoon Boy, although he insisted that you call him La'gaan off the field."

Lagoon Boy, now known to the Titans and La'gaan, stepped forward to stand beside Kaldur with one eyebrow raised.

"Robin, right?" with the ebony's curiosity slightly peaked, he slowly nodded his head. "Hm." he continued, looking down on him and studying his features. Robin tried really hard to not snap at him or fidgit on his feet at the small inspection. Seemingly done with his inspection, he gave a small nod of his head towards him. "Thought you would be taller."

Beast Boy nearly burst out laughing at this, and Cyborg gave one hearty chuckle to their leaders expense. Most of the other teens also seemed amused, except for Starfire, who was only confused as to how Robins height would be so humorous.

Robin sent a glare at the changling and elder, who immediately shut up, but still had hands on their mouths to keep from bursting forth in laughter.

"Yeah, I got to agree, didn't grow too much while away did you, little birdie?" Wally asked teasingly. The Titans were expecting another glare to be sent the speedsters way, but as a second of silence passed, they heard a very brief laugh.

They all looked at their leader a bit in shock, seeing Robin laugh at his jibe but resent all the others.

"Well, at least I know you're still as charming as ever, KF." he announced sarcastically, and, if possible, the speedsters smile grew at the teasing, friendly comment that he was used to from the bird.

"Yeah, Baywatch hasn't changed a bit. Maybe matured just the _slightest_ , but he's still just as annoying as ever." Artemis proceeded to throw her arm around her boyfriend, both giving the other loving smirks. Then Artemis turned her attention back to Robin, a bit more serious. "But I think we can all see that you've changed quite a bit."

Robin tensed a bit at this, but nevertheless answered the unspoken question anyway.

"I had to. I was on my own for almost a year before I met these guys. Kinda had to toughen up to survive." an edge had crept into his voice, but went unnoticed by the Titans and they gaped at their leader just giving away information from his past. Even Raven seemed a bit suprised, as she knew that Robin was just as secretive, if not more, about his past than she is.

"Wait, seriously? Dude, how'd you get food, shelter and that kind of stuff?" Robin remained quiet at that, and Wally instantly knew that wasn't the right question to ask when the birds seemingly happy mood seemed to dissipate. His face turned stony, and he suddenly found the metal floor very interesting.

"We're sorry, I'm sure Wally didn't mean to be that…blunt." M'gann apologized, floating forward a bit. Robin looked up, but didn't say anything to the Martian. He scanned the rest of the teens in front of them, and scowled when he saw their pitied glances.

"Don't worry about it." the tone was sharp enough to be a knife, and everyone except Raven seemed compelled to take a step away from the now angry ebony. But, unfortunately for Robin, the 'reunion' was about to get even worse.

The intercoms in the cave ceiling crackled to life, and the familiar, monotonous, feminine voice rang throughout the cavern.

Everyone seemed to stiffen, Robin most of all, and they all held their breaths as the crackling finally died down, and all of their gazes landed on the rigid Boy Wonder. Raven unconsciously floated closer to the teen, as an act of comfort or protectiveness, no one really knew. But Robin couldn't focus on anything other than what he had just heard echo around him.

"Recognized: Batman, 02"

 **It's just a regular reunion special now, isn't it!? The Titans met Robins old Team, Young Justice met the fabled Teen Titans face to face, the Boy Wonder met some new faces, and now…here comes Batman! I can't tell you how excited I am to be writing and editing the next one, cause trust me, it's gonna be interesting!**

 **Hope you enjoyed! See Ya later, nerds!**

 **:-P**


	4. Batsy

**Wow, okay, I honestly did not expect such a positive response to this story. I really just wrote it down because it was really bothering me and I couldn't really focus on my other book, and just decided to publish it. But from what I can see, you guys actually LIKE this book! The support is amazing, and so are all of you! I love you all, and hope you enjoy this very angsty chapter (well** **, more angsty than normal, anyway).**

 **But before we begin, how about some review answers?:**

 **To the person who reviewed as a guest, and said, and I quote, "You and ur story sucks. There is a KF titan too y'know and KF dies in YJ tf is wrong with u"** _Reply; I'm sorry you don't find my story interesting, and yes, I do know that Kid Flash was a Titan, but in this AU he becomes a Titan between year two and year three in the five year gap between season one and season two of YJ. Wally also dies at the end of season two, and this story takes place after season one of YJ, so he would indeed still be alive. Also, I believe you may have been just trying to get a rise out of me by the insult,_ _(I would imagine it would be because I said that every review helps, and this one actually did since you seemed confused about KF) but honestly, I stopped caring what people thought on a personal level when I was in about third grade and a certain person moved out of my district. I can strongly say that ever since then comments like that just don't affect me at all! Good try, though, but it would be a bit more effective if you used proper spelling and grammar._

 **Red X (Guest): "Wow, and just when Batman would enter…"** _Reply; Yes, it wasn't my intention to start the schedule at this point of the story, but it just kinda happened. Sorry guys!_

 **Serlenia: "Just glad you aren't quitting this fic! I love it so far and can't wait for the next chapter. Especially after how the last chapter left off"** _Reply; I am really happy to hear that you like this book! And, on Wattpad, I am fairly notorious for putting books on hood or not completeing them, but I fully intend to with both 'Changing Tides' and 'To Lose a Bird', so no worries there! The only reason I would ever quit this fanfic would be if I got all electronics taken away, but I seriously doubt that happening._

 **Now, on to the chapter!**

 **This is rated T for a reason! Mild swearing ahead!**

 ** _Chapter 4: Batsy_**

The air seemed to become physically darker as the static fell away on the overhead speakers. No one said a word, but they all mentally prepared themselves for the tension that was bound to happen. Especially Raven, who could sense every emotion being sent, and her eyes involuntarily glowed white for a moment as the feelings overwhelmed her.

Robin, as everyone seemed to expect, was the worst. His whole form was tense and rigid, his masked eyes narrowed into slits, and his gloved hands clenched into tight fists. Underneath the gloves his knuckles turned a sheet white, almost trembling with the strain being forced upon them. The ebony's breath was shallow, and if not for the faint rise and fall of his chest, one might think he stopped breathing all together.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he heard the almost silent footsteps coming closer to the closed hangar door. No one else could hear it (except for Superboy), and they all jumped slightly as, with an automated hiss, the door swung open.

No one dared to move as the dark apparition stalked into the room, his face devoid of any emotion.

They watched with bated breath when he came to a stop in front of Robin, both staring at each other in silence. Raven floated closest to Robin, and every part of her bristled with anticipation as the tension between the two figures increased.

"Robin." Batman said flatly, with only the slightest nod of his head in stiff greeting.

"Batman." Robin answered in the same stiff tone, refusing to be the one to break the Bats gaze.

Silence ensued afterward, the heros glancing at each other awkwardly as the scene continued to play out before them. Raven once again drifted towards her leader, earning a questioning glare from the man shrouded in darkness.

But unlike most people, who shied away from any glare given by Batman, she met his gaze head on, barely acknowledging the small sigh of relief from the ebony beside her. If Batman was suprised by this, he didn't show it, but as the girl set her own, almost protective glare on him, he let his suprise be shown for a millisecond before hardening once again.

He made a mental note to definetely do a more thorough background check with her later.

His gave moved from Raven, training back onto Robin for a moment. Any relief he felt at the man's diverted gaze was now replaced by apprehension. They held each others eyes for a second longer before the man turned his scrutinizing gaze on the other three Titans.

All of them visibly squirmed under his eye, and Batman gave a inaudible grunt of satisfaction. Not at the team his former protégé had formed, but more so at the fact they were slightly afraid of him.

"Are you going to introduce me." it was a statement, not a question, and Robins eyes flashed in anger and annoyance. If he had somehow forgotten why he left, right now was a very cruel reminder.

"Don't see the point." he scoffed. "They obviously already know who you are, and you have probably stalked through all of their personal files already."

The glare that was turned on him was fierce. He immediately had the urge to shrink back. Then he reminded himself that he wasn't some lost nine year old kid anymore, and his defiance sprung back into his being with a vengeance.

"I don't see you denying it." the ebony said after a moment of silence, an almost victorious smirk playing on his lips.

Batman let loose a low growl from the back of his throat, making the other heros (aside from Raven, who only watched the man with caution) slightly curl in on themselves.

The Titans felt slightly violated that the man in front of them supposedly knew all of their secrets. And, more importantly, who they were behind the superhero masks. Most of them had a very good reason to keep their past lives hidden, and to know that Batman had looked through them without a second thought thoroughly irked them. Hero or not, that seemed like a massive invasion of one's privacy.

None of them would voice their discomfort aloud, though. It would be suicide to stand up to the Dark Knight when they didn't even know each other.

"Um...sorry to interrupt your little glaring contest, but, Batman, didn't you say you would come tomorrow since there was a problem in Gotham?" Wally asked in a small voice, emitting a small yelp and hiding behind Artemis when the Bats gaze turned towards him.

"The problem was dealt with, and I saw no point in delaying the inevitable."

"You make it sound like it was a burden on your soul just to come here."

Everyone whipped their heads toward Robin as he scoffed and crossed his arms, sending his mentor the harshest glare that anyone had ever seen on the bird. Mouths dropped open in shock as Robin scoffed.

"Well, knowing you, it probably was."

Batman's eyes narrowed dangerously, and his fists clenched together at his sides. Their gazes withered the more innocent heros in the room, and Beast Boy yelped as he turned into a kitten and jumped into Starfires arms.

"Robin, you know better than anyone that-"

"You're pretty much a grade A asshole? Yeah, I know that from personal experience." Batman's arms started to shake in rage, and the glare he sent to the teen in front of him could kill.

"I see you haven't matured at all since the two years I've seen you. You're still the child I knew." At this, it was Robins turn to shake from rage. The insult had nipped at his temper, and it took all his self control to keep from lashing out.

"And I see that you're still as demanding and irritating as ever. I guess neither of us have changed."

The silence that ensued made everyone in the room (even Raven) shift on their feet, looking anywhere but the two clashing people standing in the middle of the room.

The glares and sneers that they sent each others way would kill others in sight. Neither broke eye contact, both communicating their burning rage in the stand off.

Behind the ebony, the green kitten enveloped in the princesses arms meowed in distress. Starfire looked on as the two continued to stare at each other as if they despised their existence. Cyborg stood awkwardly next to the Tameranean, wallowing in his own distress. He longed to just break up the conflict, but knew that if he attempted to he might have to deal with a flying projectile.

The Young Justice team was in similar turmoil, itching to help but not knowing how to defuse the situation without causing themselves or the others physical injury.

"I guess not." Batman finally muttered, everyone breathing a sigh of relief as the man turned away from the ebony with a swish of his cape.

Robin himself refused to relax in the slightest as he watched his ex-mentors retreating form. Then his posture only tensed more as an unwelcome image popped into the forefront of his mind.

Instead of being at Mount Justice, surrounded by friends and allies, he was back in a dark warehouse, ticking gears the only sound as Slade's dark form retreated from the control room. He sucked in a alarmed breath as the image faded, and he stared in alarm when the black cape disappeared out of the hangar.

The memory was very unwelcome, and brought back the conflicted feelings that Slade had wrought upon him during the apprenticeship.

The entire time, the madman compared himself to Batman, whether it was figure, intellect, or personality traits, he always found a way to draw similarities between him and the Dark Knight. It made his teeth grind at the time, but when he was free he realised, very reluctantly, that he had been right.

Slade and Batman were very similar. In almost every way, too. When Robin first realized this, he tried to deny it, write if off as Slade still toying with his mind. But as time wore on, he couldn't help but agree.

In all honesty, the only thing separating the two of them from being the same person was a code of morals.

And possibly a rule of insanity, but Robin was still trying to figure out if Slade was criminally insane or just freakishly intelligent.

Robin closed his eyes and forced his body to take a deep, calming breath. He forced any images and feelings about that topic away, and turned to look at the other teens on the room, who were still unsure what to do.

"That went well." the empath announced suddenly, and everyone turned to her with incredulous looks. Raven merely rose an eyebrow.

"'That went well'?! I thought they were going to kill each other! No offense, Robin." the ebony merely shrugged at Artemis's outburst.

"Trust me, it really could have been a lot worse." Robin replied, and he got multiple raised eyebrows in response. Some were from the comment, but three were of slight worry, as they could hear an underlying sharp and yet solemn tone.

They thought it was from the encounter, but the Boy Wonder knew differently.

"Might I suggest that we move to somewhere more comfortable? The lounge, perhaps?"

At Aqualads suggestion, the teens were all greatful for the change in atmosphere and whole-heartedly moved their way to the lounge.

The Titans marveled at the sight of Mount Justice. The large expanse of the cave seemed to go on forever, and not once did any of them feel claustrophobic. The overall aesthetic was very simple, but it also felt like a home. There was a large control console in the center of the room, along with a pad on the ground that they assumed was for training. All of the other objects in the room were regular home supplies, however, and added to the comfortable feeling.

While the Titans took in their surroundings, Robin was having an inner battle with all of the information that had been thrown in his face over the course of a couple days.

First, Slade appears once more, causing trouble for his old team. In response they contact the only source they have on the enigma, which would be the Titans.

Then, he somehow got coerced into flying across the country, most likely into a trap that the psychopath had planted just for him. And he is wittingly walking right into it, just to appear slightly more normal and to not raise anymore suspicion from Young Justice.

Finally, and most importantly, Batman. The man was obviously still livid, not having a proper way to release his anger from two years ago. Honestly, Robin wouldn't be suprised if Batman would try to keep him there longer than needed just because he needed a suitable outlet for his pent up anger.

And then, there was the memory comparison in the hangar.

Robin shook his head, dispelling all of the stressful thoughts from his mind. With a deep breath the ebony made his way over to one of the couches, sitting down between Beast Boy and Raven, with Cyborg and Starfire on either side of them. The other teens room up the space accordingly, with M'gann settling with hovering in the hair with her legs crossed.

The silence between them became longer, neither team too sure where or how to start a conversation. An air of awkwardness permiated the room, and finally, someone found a way to break the silence.

Although, he did it in a less than great way.

"So, you've dealt with this Slade guy before. Was he a big baddie back in Jump, or just someone you dealt with when he sprang up?"

The Titans all looked to their leader, who they saw crunch the fabric on his thighs into tight fists and narrow his eyes. It was quickly decided that someone else would answer the speedsters question, even though it was clearly directed to Robin.

"He was sorta in the middle. He wasn't too much of a regular criminal, but when he did get caught, it was either because he wanted us to come or he sent his robots." Cyborg put simply, not wanting to go into too much detail for his leaders sake.

The other teens soaked up the information like a sponge, but were slightly disappointed when they were given a vague answer. They were beginning to believe that this 'Slade' was a Taboo subject for the Titans.

"You haven't seen or fought him, have you?" Robin asked out of the blue. He caught the Titans off guard with his question, but let it slide as the other teens were glad to answer.

"No, we have not. We found out about him from a weapons shipment we were assigned to stop. One of the workers mentioned that all of the weapons were to be transferred to the West coast, to a buyer simply known as 'Slade'. That was our first encounter with the name involved, and since then we have heard his name come up quite a few times." Aqualad replied, the others nodding their heads in agreement.

Robin let out a little huff. "That's what I thought."

"What, you're saying you knew we've never seen him before?" Zatanna asked incredulously. "How in the world would you know that?"

"None of you are dead, unless there was some other member I didn't know about."

Stunned silence followed the ebony's statement, the Young Justice team staring at him with wide eyes, while the Titans looked at him in worry.

"So he's that bad, huh?" Artemis said in a hushed tone, the Titans nodding slowly in agreement.

"You don't know the half of it." Raven replied, glancing a bit nervously at Robin, who seemed to be lost in his own mind. But she could clearly sense his fear and anger.

"Well, I believe we should leave the rest of the information for the mission briefing, shouldn't we?" the Atlantean wad greatful that he could see the slight nods of approval.

The meeting continued without any hitch, everyone steering clear of any work related subjects. Everyone seemed to be getting along well, but Robin couldn't concentrate on the conversation, and in turn, neither could Raven.

She was getting even worried for her leader and-dare she say it-friend. His emotions had once again spiralled out of control, the most noticeable being anger. Whether it was for Slade, some of his friends, or even his ex-mentor, she was not sure. But it was very clearly there, and in a very unhealthy amount for an adult, let alone a teenager.

Raven wasn't going to worry too much, however. She knew how stressful this must be for him, and wasn't going to judge possible misplaced emotions. In her mind, she knew that everything would turn out fine, and everything that bothered Robin before would be resolved with this possible once in a lifetime visit.

It had too, if they were ever going to go back to the Tower with the strange normality they knew as their lives.

 **What, did you think everything between Batsy and the Bird would be resolved in one chapter? Yeah, right, not with their rocky relationship…**


	5. It's Magic, You Know…

**_Chapter 5_ : _It's Magic, You Know…_**

 **(Oh, Oh, Oh, It's Magic, You Know-Oh-Oh…)**

The rest of the day went relatively smooth, with both teams steering clear of any 'work' related topics. They spent the entire time talking with each other, like old friends coming togther for a simple hangout. Of course, not everyone did much talking. Including the person who really was revisiting old friends.

Robin and Raven tended to stay out of much of the conversations, much to the displeasure of the others. Raven, everyone seemed to understand, as the Titans knew she wasn't social, and the Young Justice team seemed to quickly realize that fact. But the other bird seemed to be in a totally different world.

After the beginning of the conversation Robin seemed to tune everyone out. His mood was still tainted from the start of the day, and it didn't seem like idly chatting with the others would help any.

Batman, with the common theme of Slade coming up as well, ruined the entire day for him.

Finally, much to Robins relief, the sun was setting, and Kaldur suggested they turn in for the night. Everyone agreed, a few more enthusiastic than others, and M'gann proceeded to show the guests, sans Robin, their rooms.

Robin went his own way, socially exhausted from the grueling day. He trudged down the hallway like a walking corpse, not really paying attention to his noise levels as he usually did.

He had the pathway to his room in the Mountain memorized after the second visit all those years ago.

This was the reason he didn't have the same level of spacial awareness he was ingrained with. Unwarranted memories started laughing his mind as the ebony stalked to the room, and he found himself lost in his reminiscing. Which is why, when another body appeared around the corner, he ran headlong into them.

The ebony quickly backpedaled and opened his mouth to apologize. He mentally chastised himself for zoning out as badly as he did, the thought of what Batman would say to his carelessness flitting through his mind for a moment, before he shot it down.

Robin stopped in his tracks as he finally registered the smirking form in front of him. His mouth snapped shut and the apology quickly died on his lips, being replaced with a frown.

"Hello, Zatanna." he said monotonously, while the magician smirk seemed to deepen.

"What happened to Zee? Why do you have to be so formal?" she rested a hand on her hip, jutting it out as if to emphasize her point. Robin just sighed and gave her a scrutinizing gaze.

"Zee died when we broke it off, Zatanna. You should know that. After all, you're the one who broke up with me." Zatanna gave a small frown at that comment, but it immediately lifted into a bewitching smile as she stepped a bit closer.

"That's true, I did break up with you. But that was a long time ago, why don't we...start over?" she stated it in such a seductive manner Robin almost physically gagged. She had also taken a step further towards him, so they were only about a foot apart.

Robin was tempted to take a step back, but refrained. She might have seen it as a sign of weakness. He still had to tilt his head slightly to give her a small glare, but over the two years he had grown, so he was only a few short inches smaller then her. Better for intimidation and maintaining a strong front.

God, he was starting revert to the old instincts Batman first ingrained him with. This whole visit seemed to be poisoning him.

"No way, we're over. I'm not even attracted to you anymore. It was just a pre-teen fling, okay? It didn't mean anything." Zatanna frowned once again. Robin felt victory starting to swell in his mind, but it was quickly swatted away when the smirk returned a she laid a delicate hand on his shoulder.

"What happened back then doesn't matter. We're older, and I think we both know what were want." she whispered the last part as she leaned closer, their faces so close that he felt her warm breath on his face.

Robin quickly pushed her away and fought the blush off his cheeks.

"Really, Zatanna? I thought you were a better person than this. I don't like you, and I'm not sure I ever really did. Plus, I'm pretty sure I have deeper feelings for someone else close to me." Zatanna's frown went deeper with every word spoken, but a curious glint entered her eyes as she processed the last comment.

"Who? I know you and that alien aren't together, so is it someone else from Jump City? Or is it that brooding one in the cloak?"

"Definetely not the brooding one in the cloak, as you so eloquently put it."

Robin whipped around in suprise to see Raven standing at the end of the hallway, her hood uncovered and an almost dangerous glint in her eyes. The magicians eyebrows sprung up her forehead in suprise, not having heard her coming down the adjacent hallway.

"R-Raven..." a red tint graced the Boy Wonders cheeks, and he cleared his throat before continuing. "What are you doing out of your room?" Raven floated forward, coming to a stop a comfortable distance away from Robin. The empath gaze fell upon the magician, and they instantly hardened into a glare.

"I couldn't meditate or sleep. I could sense a pit of teenage drama across the hall." she deadpanned, Zatanna unconsciously shrinking into herself from the piercing gaze. Her cheeks turned pink in reaction.

"Well, you should just go try something else, because this has nothing to do with you. This is personal. For the both of us."

"I'm sure it is, and that's why I could feel Robins loathing and frustration while all I could feel from you was lust." at that sardonic remark, both of the teens in question turned as red as an apple.

"Um...I-I think I'll just g-go back to my room..." the magician proceeded to scurry down the corner, quickly disapearing from sight.

Raven simultaneously turned and floated back down the hallway she came from, giving Robin a small ghost of a smile and a wink as she turned the corner. Robin responded with a fond smile and a small shake of his head, his mood lightening slightly from the girls' banter around him.

And Ravens obvious victory. That was defientetly a plus side since it became apparent Robin wasn't going to win that one by himself.

With his mood now slightly lifted, he proceeded the short distance to his room. But as he reached the door and was about to key in the pass-code, his hand hesitated.

He expected everything to be the same as before he left, but that would most likely cause a new tsunami of emotions and past memories. And, quite frankly, he had enough of complicated emotions for one day. It was wearing him thin, and all he wanted to do was crash down on a soft surface and try to get a decent nights sleep.

It was unlikely his slumber would be absent of some of the typical nightmares, but it never stopped him from trying before.

Inhaling a deep breath, he pressed the code into the screen.

The door swished open, and a column of dust plauged his nose. He sneezed, but proceeded to walk into the room anyway. The air was musty, as if it hadn't been used for a while, and the only current circulating through the room was from the door, which slid shut behind him with a slight squeak.

The air was musty and stale, and every one of his possessions had a fine layer of dust settled ontop of it. Aside from the bed, which was a mystery Robin didn't have the brain power to figure out at the moment.

The only thing that was on his mind was solitude and sleep, no matter how fitfull.

Without a second glance at the objects he left behind when he got 'fired', Robin fell face first into the comforter and closed his eyes. He didn't bother to take off his mask or uniform, which he was sure to regret later, but right now he could only focus on the soft mattress beneath him.

After breathing a content sigh, his vision faded to darkness, all conscious thoughts being replaced by the nightmare plauged images that were sure to pop into his head periodically throughout the night.

 **Relatively short, and more of a filler if anything, but I REALLY wanted to have Zatanna, Raven, and Robin have a more separate meeting.**

 **Also, sorry if Zatanna seemed REALLY OUT OF CHARACTER, but there are three reasons for that:**

 **1.) I was never really sure how to write her in the first place, as she was always lower on my interest list for DC.**

 **2.) I thought she would be a slight *cough* female dog *cough* after their break-up, and then when she sees the way Robins grown into his body, she's interested again, but not for the right reasons and she is being a TERRIBLE person, as Robin points out.**

 **3.) It fits better for my story line if she's like this, as it adds a bit more clashing.**

 **I would have written more for this chapter, but our town is celebrating…something, not entirely sure…and I have volleyball, pep band, marching band, and homework for school, so I just got this done as fast as I could between all of that, and as such, please excuse any and all mistakes whether they are grammar, or simply sentences that don't make much sense.**

 **All of that aside, hope you enjoyed this filler chapter (it had SOME drama in it, it just wasn't very important to the story plot…), and things will be picking back up again from here!**


	6. Where Were We? The Psychotic Pirate?

***REVISED**

 ** _Chapter 6: Where Were We? The Psychotic Pirate? _**

The atmosphere in the room had gone down measurably in hostility, but there was no doubt tension still floated through the air. Most of it coming from a bird, a bat, a magician, and a very annoyed half-demon.

Both of the teams, including Batman and Black Canary, were gathered in the mission room.

Robin stood in center at the holo-computer, downloading information from his laptop into the Mount Justice database. Cyborg and Raven lingered behind him, idly occupying themselves with scanning over the information.

Starfire was adamantly talking with M'gann, Black Canary, and Wonder Girl, who were responding to her innocent questions in stride. Beast Boy drifted from person to person, awkwardly trying to start a conversation, until he finally ended up by Starfires side. His bright mood had dimmed considerably at his failed attempts of conversation, but lit up once again as he chatted with his personal green skinned idol.

Both Batman and Zatanna lingered near the corners of the room, surrounding themselves in shadows. The magician hadn't quite gotten over her embarrassment from the other night, and Batman was being his usual, anti-social self.

Everyone else talked about unimportant topics while they waited for the ebony to finish his task.

Robin felt numb as the bar on the laptop screen slowly filled. After getting only two hours of sleep the night before (being plauged by nightmares and paranoia), he was running on fumes. Which, in all reality, was his default phase.

He couldn't stop feeling the burning gaze of the man lurking in the shadows on his back. It unnerved him, but he refused to bring attention to it. That would only make things worse, in his opinion. The bitter look Zatanna was giving him and Raven wasn't helping matters along, either.

Which is why he let out an inaudible sigh as the bar finally filled up, and the information transferred to the holo-computer. The screen popped up, along with a dozen images that surrounded a black and orange mask. The others immediately turned their attention to the screen, where the Young Justice team (along with Batman) dully noted the lack of information surrounding this 'Slade'.

"Let's just start off with what everyone needs to know about Slade. He's extremely dangerous." as Robin started his speech, Starfire and Beast Boy came to stand next to Raven and Cyborg, with Robin in the middle. Everyone noticed the seriousness that even Beast Boy seemed to have schooled, and they all whole-heartedly believed the birds statement.

"It's true that the Titans have only had a few face to face instantances with him, but his presence is in many of the crimes that occur in Jump." the holo-computer displayed several instances of this, including the Red X scandal, which Robin pointedly avoided looking at.

"I have a hard time believing that." Batman suddenly grunted, and Robin bristled at the unwanted comment. Everyone else in the room seemed to tense, just waiting to see what would happen this time.

Robin took a deep breath. He could handle this. It was just Batman being his usual, all-knowing self, nothing to get too worked up about. The man was simply reinforcing the reasons on why Robin left in the first place. He can handle Batman for the rest of the mission briefing.

"And what, exactly, would you know about Slade?" the bird asked through slightly gritted teeth. The teen made it clear that he was in no mood to be patronized.

Batman's ever-present glare hardened, but he refused to act unprofessional. "I know that, from the mask this man appears to be wearing, and the color scheme, you Titans have most likely been dealing with Deathstroke the Terminator; Now, apparently, going by Slade."

Everyone but Black Canary seemed to have no idea who the man was talking about. Even Robin raised an eyebrow at the statement, wondering-not for the first time-if Batman was simply making up new villains in his head.

Because, really, who would name themselves Deathstroke the Terminator?

Canary didn't seem to take any humour in the Bats supposed senile comment. Her face actually paled slightly, and to those who were close enough, they could see slight worry in her eyes.

"Batman, that's quite the accusation. The last time we saw that man was two years after the Justice League began. It's been some time, and why would he suddenly appear again with a new alias?" Batman huffed slightly in response to Canary's comment.

Robin was tired of this. They still hadn't changed, had they? The League was still talking in vague sentences, and they seemed reluctant to give up information too easily.

He had enough. Robin was the leader of his own team now, that operated separate from the League in all concepts. There was no way he was going to be treated as though he was still apart of Young Justice. He wouldn't let his new teammates go through all the guessing games he had to as a kid.

"Do either of you mind actually explaining who this Deathstroke is?" he bit out, and Batman gave him a blank stare, while Canary seemed to be thinking over it. She bit her bottom lip slightly, and her eyes looked very conflicted as well.

Robin's posture stiffened immediately as he silently watched Canary. Whoever this Deathstroke was, they obviously got to her in some way in the past. That would be the only possible reason she was outwardly acting like this, and not like the usual stoic facade she usual put on in front of the Team.

But, if what they were saying was true and Deathstroke and Slade were one in the same, it would explain why even the elder heroes seemed to get wary. Slade was a formidable foe for anyone.

Finally, it seemed as though Black Canary cracked under the withering gaze Robin had been giving her. She sighed, and looked at Batman one more time before looking at the teenagers that were looking at her with curiousity. Some held more annoyance, however.

"Deathstroke was a mercenary that came very close to bringing the entire Justice League crumbling. He was closely associated to Lex Luthor, and frequently took contracts from him. But then, he simply vanished. No one has heard from him since then." Everyone but Batman seemed a bit shocked at that statement.

Deathstroke almost took down the entire Justice League? By himself? Why were they just hearing about this now?

Robin was pelted by these questions, and many more, and was itching to find out even more. If Slade really was this fabled mercenary, then he had much more research he had to do. The ebony may not have been able to find much on his current alias, but there might just be something to find under the name Deathstroke.

"I'll add the information to the data base once we get back to Titans Tower. Since we still don't know for certain if Slade and Deathstroke are the same, I suggest we continue." Robin said, and everyone nodded, looking somewhat more worried than when they came in.

"We really don't have much information on him, except that he's intelligent, possibly meta-human, and will stop at almost nothing to get what-" Raven shot him a pointed look, and Robin mentally growled while glaring at her from the corner of his eye. "-or who, he wants."

"He is extremely skilled with a bo-staff, along with close combat, so if you come in contact try to get farther away and use long-range attacks. But also keep in mind that he may be meta-human and have heightened reflex's, so those might not work either." the teens from Young Justice gave him a blank stare, and Kid Flash hesitantly raised his hand.

The bird sighed. "Yes, KF?"

Wally put his hand down and opened his mouth, only to close it again. His face contorted in super-speed, until it finally took on a simply curious expression.

"So, if we somehow meet this guy, we're supposed to stay back and use long range attacks that probably won't even work?"

"Yes, yes you are. That's the only way that you will be able to handle him." Robin asked simply, and was about to go on when Wally's hand shot up, faster this time. Artemis gave her boyfriend a quizzical look, but chose not to say anything.

Robin huffed, but waved for Kid Flash to talk.

"So, we fight this Slade guy the same way we would fight you?"

It was an innocent question, really. The speedster was just making a comparison that made sense in his mind. He had fought (sparred, is probably more accurate) Robin many times, and he was seeing if he could use some of the tricks he had learned with Robin against Slade.

Who knew such an innocent question would get such a bad reaction?

Robin tensed, but only his team seemed to notice at first. They all glanced at him from the corners of their eyes, and everyone except Raven shifted on their feet.

Everything was silent for a few moments, and even Wally seemed to realize that what he said hit some sore spots. Nobody but the Titans seemed to know what the comment exactly did to the Boy Wonder, however.

Robin could feel Batman and Canary's eyes narrow, but refused to look at anyone. He squeezed his eyes shut behind his mask, and took a deep breath. The ebony even turned toward the screen behind him, his back now to the rest of the heroes.

Why was it, that even people who have never seen or heard of Slade before, compare them? What even gives them the right to do that?

Slade is a despicable, manipulative monster. Surely they didn't see Robin the same way, did they?

It didn't matter. He had to focus on the mission. That's all that matters at the moment. Robin could deal with his emotions later. Now, it was time to get work done.

"That..." he trailed, and took one more deep breath before turning back to the others, eyes still closed. "...is a fairly reasonable comparison. But, he's much more ruthless than I am, alright?" Robin finished in a soft tone.

Canary and the original members of the team wore concerned faces, but that wasn't what Robin saw when he finally unscrunched his eyes. All he saw was Batman's expression.

No concern. No emotion at all, except that barely readable hint of suspicion.

Seeing this, Robin steeled his gaze, and his confidence returned. He looked back to the other heroes and saw that all of them were silently waiting for him to speak.

At least they seemed to realize the subject shouldn't be pushed.

"Meeting dismissed." Robin curtly said, and promptly turned around with a flourish of his cape.

He didn't know exactly what else there was for him to do at the moment, but he needed to take his mind off of things. It was getting a bit too stressful lately.

Training sounded like a good idea. At least, it did right now. Robin always used training as a way to blow off steam, and this situation seemed perfect. Plus, he still needed to work on a new move he had been trying to perfect for a while now.

That's what he was planning to do as he walked down the dark hallway, anyway. He was so focused on distracting himself, that he failed to notice that he was not the only one to go down this particular hallway.

As he neared the training room, however, the distinct click of heels managed to penetrate his thoughts. Robin immidietly spun around, just two meters short of the door way. His nerves were already on edge, he really didn't need anyone from the team questioning him right now.

Robin didn't even think he could handle Raven right now.

Luckily for him, it wasn't Raven or any other team member. It was someone worse.

Black Canary strode down the hall, quickly closing the distant between them. Robin refused to move an inch, and met her neutral gaze head on with one of his own.

He already knew what she wanted to do, but he was not really in the mood for a one-on-one. She would just have to wait.

The only question was if she would accept no for an answer.

"Robin, I think we need to talk." 

**Hhhhhheeeeeeyyyyyyyy. I know I haven't been active for...what is it now...a couple months?**

 **He he, been pretty busy...**

 **But I hope you all enjoyed the chapter regardless. I was planning to just update all the chapters at once, but I have only managed to edit this one so far...yeah.**

 **See you...next time?**

 **~Atatami**


	7. Robin, I Choose You!

***REVISED**

 ** _Chapter 7: Robin, I Choose You!_**

"What's there to talk about?" Robin ground out, his fists clenching at his sides. Black Canary merely raised an eyebrow.

"I think you know. There is obviously tension between you and Slade, and I'm worried about you. Bottling up your feelings like this isn't healthy."

Robin's gaze turned into a slight glare, and he crossed his arms over his chest. Who was she to say he was bottling any of his feelings?

He was, and he knew it, but she shouldn't be accusing him of it either way.

"I'm not bottling anything up." he hissed, and promptly turned his back to her and started walking into the training room.

Robin tensed as a hand came to land upon his shoulder, stopping him as he was just about to cross into the room. Her hand remained there, but he refused to turn around and face Canary.

There was silence for a moment, before Canary spoke in a soft voice. "Don't lie to yourself, Robin." her voice was almost a whisper.

Canary's voice was soothing, almost motherly, and there was a part of Robin that wanted to turn around and confess every thing to her. What he had gone through. Why exactly Slade was such a sore subject. Every single thing that had been weighing him down the entire time he had been on his own.

But he couldn't. Robin quickly stomped down on the urge, making sure it was completely doused.

"I'm not lying about anything." he tearsly replied, ripping his shoulder out of Canary's grip.

That should have been the end of it. But, strangely, Robin found his feet to be glued to the floor, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't walk away.

He heard Canary sigh a little, and take a step away from him. Neither of the birds said a word, and the silence around them was almost deafening. It made Robin want to escape into the training room, but he still couldn't move.

"Do you remember," Canary said softly, in a saddened tone. "the day after the Failsafe simulation?"

Robin stiffened even more at the mention of that dreadful experience. He had even more nightmares than usual for weeks. It was just first experience leading a team, and he managed to kill them all.

It was what he was terrified of everyday. What he was terrified of when he first formed the Titan's, as they christened him their leader.

When Slade had the Titan's lives under his thumb, Robin was in perpetual fear, thinking that the Failsafe mission might come true. That Robin would fail them, and they would all die because he didn't do what he was supposed to.

"Yes." he answered simply in a low voice. His form was stock still, waiting for what Canary might say.

She took a deep breath before continuing. "In our meeting you said that you didn't want to be the Batman. I now realize that wish never came true."

Robin whipped around to face her, a snarl on his face. There was a line you simply didn't cross when it came to Batman, and she just jumped over it.

"Don't you dare compare me to Batman! I'm nothing like him!" he yelled, swiping his hand through the air.

Canary simply gave him a sad smile.

"Keeping secrets, bottling up emotion, lashing out; you tell me if that sounds like Batman."

With those words she turned away, walking back down the hall she came. Once she turned the corner, out of sight, Robin stomped into the training room.

He was fuming, even more so now than before. Him, like Batman? Please.

Obviously there are going to be some similarities. Batman was his mentor, after all. He taught Robin almost everything he knows about fighting. But when it comes to personalities, Robin knew they were polar opposites.

Weren't they?

OoOoOoO

It was now only a day before the shipment came through, and it was time for the finishing touches on the plan. Robin and Kaldur met in the mission room to strategize.

They would divide up into three teams; Alpha (Robin, Superboy, Cyborg, Kaldur, Raven and Kid Flash), Beta (M'gann, Starfire, Zatanna, and Beast Boy), and Gamma (Rocket, Wonder Girl, Lagoon Boy and Artemis).

Because the layout of the docks was quite unusual, Alpha and Beta would be farther apart than Robin would have liked, so Gamma would stay in the Bioship and be the back-up in case things didn't go according to plan.

Alpha team is the closest to the shipment, hiding behind the many shipping container littered across the docks. Once concealed, Beta will move in and scout the perimeter, making sure no unwanted people's lurked in the shadows. They will also be on the lookout for any straying Slade-bots or even Slade himself.

When the shipment comes in, Alpha will wait for the mercenary to reveal himself, and then launch an attack. Robin, Raven, and Kid Flash will go for the full-on assault on Slade, attempting to overwhelm the man, while Superboy, Cyborg and Kaldur cover them with the rest of Beta.

Then, if they manage to take Slade down (which Robin was still doubting, but he refused to douse the others spirits), Gamma will come down and explore the shipment to see exactly what kind of weapons are on board.

The best possible ending would be Slade ending up in prison, and the Titan's going back to Jump City without too much of a hassle.

Worst case possible was Slade took Robin, the weapons, and killed all of his friends in the process in order to escape with his prizes.

Of course, Robin didn't tell Kaldur the second scenario, but that didn't mean it stop couldn't happen. The ebony prayed that it wouldn't, at least.

"I believe that our plan is ready." Aqualad said, then exhaustion in his voice clear. Robin could relate, as they had been working almost non-stop for about four hours coming up with a plan that might have a chance a working. It had been very tiring, but at least they came up with something to hat wasn't terrible.

"Yeah." the ebony sighed, hands on his hips. A small smile graced his lips, as it had felt good to talk strategy with someone who had been trained in it.

He loved his team, he really did. They were basically family. But he would never ask Beast Boy to strategize an assault unless he wanted to purposely fail.

Kaldur gave his own small, tired smile and glanced at Robin.

"I must admit, you have grown into quite the leader. I am impressed." the compliment almost made Robin blush, as he was not used to receiving them from the Atlantian, but he managed to push it down.

Robin cleared his throat. "Oh, um, thanks." Kaldur's smile grew a little more at the teen's obvious discomfort.

"I believe if you were to join the Team again, you would be quite formidable as leader."

The comment made Robin freeze slightly, as he could barely perceive the suggestion in Kaldur's voice. Robin sighed.

"Look, Kal, I love this Team. It was amazing. I had so much fun, and the League finally started seeing us as more than simply sidekicks. But I can't just leave the Titan's. It wouldn't be right."

Kaldur looked slightly saddened, but the smile never wavered.

"I know, my friend. It is quite clear that what you have with the Titan's is unique." Kaldur paused, looking back to the plans they had laid out, putting a hand on Robins shoulder. The ebony found himself relaxing into it, the feeling comforting. "But know that no matter what, the position will always be available to you. What I said all those year ago still applies. As soon as you are ready, I will gladly step down from my position."

Kaldur gave his shoulder a slight squeeze, and Robin's smile got a little brighter.

"Thanks, but don't count on it too soon. I have a feeling the Titan's will last for a pretty long time."

Kaldur took a deep breath, and looked at Robin once more.

"As do I, my friend."

 **Hey people! I got another chapter done! Yay! Even if it was more of a filler, and relatively short, it had some important plot points sown in, too.**

 **Sadly, though, this might be the last one for a while. Our local sports team is going to State and for pep band we have to travel to our state capital to play, and then over spring break I'm going to Florida for yet another band thing, and I still need to get every thing for that.**

 **Let's just say there is a lot going on. This isn't even counting sprint volley ball or forensics either.**

 **I know everyone gives the excuse that they are simply too busy, but then there are some who simply have time but don't spend it writing. I will admit that there has been at least one occasion I have done this, but now I ACTUALLY have no time to write.**

 **I hope you all understand and can forgive me.**

 **I loved reading all of your reviews last chapter, and I am so thankful to all of you. Without you, I don't know what would keep me going. Thank you so much.**

 **~Atatami**


	8. Caution: Don't Anger The Robins

**_Chapter 8:_ Caution: Don't Anger The Robins **

Raven and Kid Flash were practically breathing down his neck as Alpha sat crouched on top of a distant shipping container. Connor, Kaldur and Cyborg took to the ground, keeping out of sight, while Raven, Kid Flash, and Robin sat atop, scouting for anyone that they might not have accounted for.

 _"Do any of you hear that buzzing?"_ Connor voiced through the link, irritation heavy in his tone.

 _"It is most likely the heavy amount of machinery around us."_ Kaldur, the ever persistent voice of reason, responded, most likely referring to the two large cranes flanking the shipping container they were located by. Connor grunted, accepting that answer and the mind link went silent once again.

Robin kept up a stoic exterior, trying to show that this whole situation was just another one of many missions.

But with his best friend and an empath witch right by his side, he might as well have been an open book. Both of them could see straight through his facade as if it were made of glass.

The ebony was having an internal battle. On one hand, he couldn't wait to face the masked man with back up, and not just the Titans. If they could somehow manage to beat Slade, then a huge weight would be removed from his shoulders.

There was also the underlying rage that he could feel boiling to the surface. It would feel great to be able to unleash his wrath upon the mad man, and he was half tempted to when he showed his face. But he knew that it could jeopardize the entire mission. His emotions have destroyed missions before, so why would it be any different now?

Then there was the alternative, where he would be captured again, and be forced to endure yet another version of hell on earth. Robin didn't know if he could take another day as an apprentice, let alone how long it would take for the Titans to get him back. If he were to be captured, Slade would make sure he never escaped from his cage like last time.

This plan that they came up with would never work. Maybe it would start okay, but it would all turn to disaster eventually. Even if it was supposedly full proof. That's just how Slade worked.

Robin may not have minded if he were simply fighting with the Titans, but there were other players involved now. He hasn't fought with his old team for almost two years, and there were new members as well.

He may have browsed through everyone's files before he came to Happy Harbor, but he had no idea who changed their fighting style and who had new maneuvers.

All of these thoughts made Robin a mess, but he was trying desprately to pull it together before Slade came out of hiding. Or before the two other teens beside him decided to act on their suspicions. Either way, if he didn't find a way to compose himself, things would most definetly end badly.

Kid Flash shifted anxiously beside him, but Robin couldn't figure out if it was from his restlessness of a speedster, or wanted to help the burden with what ever was bothering him. Robin always liked that about Kid, he may not be the most brightest bulb when it comes to battle and strategies, but with emotions he was an expert.

Alpha team was about half a mile from the water, and where the boat would actually appear. Beta lurked all around the perimeter, making sure the site wasn't compromised. So where up above was Gamma, waiting in the Bioship for some things in the plan to go wrong.

Robin was getting restless now. It shouldn't have taken this long for the shipment to arrive. Something was definitely wrong.

Just as he was about to alert the everyone, two bright yellow lights appeared on the waters horizon. He felt everyone through the mind link tense, and soon after Aqualads voice drifted into his head.

 _"We have visual on the shipment. Still no sign of Slade, but there is no doubt he will appear shortly to receive his weapons."_

The mind link fell silent once again, and no one shifted from their position as the ship moved closer to the docks. Both men and robots alike converged closer, more towards the waters edge.

Finally, the shipping container reached the docks and lowered its anchor. A bridge lowered to the ground from the boat, and four other men emerged and made their way towards the others. They spoke for a moment, before the robots turned guard and the men boarded the ship.

Now Robin really knew something was wrong.

Slade should have appeared by now. He would want to make sure the weapons he bought were real, and not some brute trying to pull one over on him. And he would never trust random men to make sure the weapons were authentic. It wasn't like Slade.

Or at least Robin didn't think so. If he were an evil mastermind, he wouldn't trust anyone but himself.

He couldn't voice these thoughts fast enough. Directly below them, inside the shipping container they were standing on, a large explosion sounded. It ripped the roof off, and Kid Flash immidiately zipped away. Cyborg covered himself and Superboy covered Aqualad with his body to protect him from debris. Raven simply teleported away to a safe distance.

Robin jumped away, and was flying through the air as the fire continued to smoulder behind him. That is, until he felt a wire rope wrap around his right leg, and tugging him off balance. He tumbled, sideways, to the ground, and not having any time to prepare himself, landed akwardly on his right leg. His head bounced off the concrete as well, bringing brights spots dancing across his vision.

He let out a grunt of pain, and felt the heat from the explosion in his back as he struggled to get off of the ground. His mind was reeling from the hit, and a splitting headache was forming very quickly.

 _"Alpha, what are your locations?"_ **Kaldur?**

 _"Friends! Are you alright?!"_ **Starfire** , that was definetely Starfire.

 _"Woah, what was that?!"_ **Beast Boy** , I think...

 _"Is everyone okay?"_ Was that **Artemis**? Or maybe **M'gann**...

All of these voices flowed through his head, his mind trying to discern voices from each other. All he could process at that moment was that there was an explosion, he jumped and someone tried to take him out.

 _"Hey, where'd Robin go?"_ Kid asked, a hint of worry seeping into his tone, which was justifiable. Robin's mind started to clear, and he came back to his senses, reaching for his belt.

Robin couldn't see anyone from where he was now sitting on the ground, trying to use a bird-a-rang to cut through the ropes, but he could sense all of them through the mind link getting closer to the site of the explosion.

 _"I'm-ah!"_ Robin started to respond, but was cut off as whoever was at the other end of the rope pulled harshly on his injured leg. This time, they didn't stop, and Robin slid against the ground. Scrapes were forming on his exposed skin, and his head bashed painfully into the ground after the first tug, disorienting him once again.

 _"Robin, what's wrong?"_ Raven asked frantically. Or as frantically as she was allowing herself to show.

Robin started to struggle. He reached to his ankle, where the rope was wrapped around, and began to frantically saw at it with his bird-a-rang. His leg was screaming in pain, and Robin begrudgingly thought that he might have pulled his hamstrings and ankle in his rough landing. Most probably a concussion, too, if the throbbing in his head was anything to go by.

 _"Someone's got my leg. Landed on it wrong, and they're pulling me away by rope wrapped around my ankle."_ Robin verbally growled as he frustratedly added, _"I can't cut it!"_

The tugging suddenly stopped, but Robin continued to attack the wired rope, growing even more frustrated as not even a scratch showed.

He was so concentrating on the meager task he forgot one fatal thing.

Batman always taught him to pay attention to his surroundings. It was drilled into his head from a very young age, and even when he ran away, this training had stayed with him. Robin knew that if you didn't know where you were in a situation such as this, you were that much closer to being killed.

But as he was being dragged across the ground, all he was focused on was trying to get the rope off of his leg, burning in pain. Robin couldn't remember what he passed, or even how far.

A rookie mistake. A possibly lethal one, Robin thought to himself as he tried to quell the rising panic in his chest.

The rope around his leg was not cutting, his friends were asking him where he was, worry clear in all of them (even Superboy), and he foolishly let himself be separated by an enemy. Then, he didn't take care to locate where he was, vision swimming with a possible concussion and panic ever growing.

The tightness in his chest increased, and Robin could feel his heart raging in his ears. His breath quickened, and he began to cut even more frantically.

Robin didn't notice the shadows gathering in a circle around him until it was too late. He heard gears turn, and his breath hitched as he saw who, or more accurately what, had surrounded him.

Slade-bots. Why wouldn't they be Slade-bots?

They stood there, circling him, and Robin noticed with disdain that the one directly in front of him held a coil to the wired rope tied around his leg. His panic increased as he stared at them, waiting for them to pounce.

But, to his own suprise, they simply stood there, staring intently at him. It made shivers run down the birds spine. Their gazes were cold, lifeless. Yet, as they stood like statues around Robin, they also projected an aura of protectiveness. Robin rose an eyebrow in confusion, making his heart slow down a bit, and his panic seeped from his body, being replaced by curiousity.

This momentary distraction let his mind clear for a moment, and a voice came barreling into his thoughts.

 _"Rob?! ROBIN!? Where are you?! Answer us!"_ Kid Flash screeched, making Robin unconsciously wince.

 _"I'm okay, for now. I don't know where I am..."_ the bird said in dissatisfaction, criticizing himself for his potentionally fatal mistake.

 _"Can you describe your location?"_ Aqualad said, and Robin could tell he was trying to hide his panic, too. Never-the-less, Robin tried to look past the robots that were...guarding him? Caging him? He wasn't entirely sure.

Sadly, there wasn't anything to see that distinguished this spot from the whole docking bay. There were stacks of shipping containers, in multiple colors in multiple sizes, just like everywhere else, but not much else.

 _"I can't. It looks like everything else I've seen here. But some Slade-bots have me surrounded, and one of them is defientetly the one who dragged me here. Wherever 'here' is..."_ Robin felt the fear that came specifically from the Titans, and he knew some of the others must have noticed it, too.

 _"Dude, get out of there! What if Slade is close by, too!?"_ Beast Boy screeched, and he could practically see his old teams confused and worried faces.

Obviously they knew being injured near any villain spelled danger. But why were the Titans so frantic about it? As long as they kept calm and found out where Robin was, there would be no problem.

The loud sound of the changling's voice made Robin wince and grab his ears, his concussed mind not being able to handle the volume. He groaned and considered lying down on his side to try and eleviate the pain, but thought again as he glanced at the circle of robots.

"Geez, BB, keep it down..." he mumbled.

More robots emerged from seemingly nowhere, and one of the shipping container doors swung open with a loud screech, making the boys head throb even more.

"I agree, he is a loud one, isn't he?" Robin's eyes snapped open, more alert than ever, and the panic once again returned. He whipped his head towards the voice in an instant. The ebony's heart seemed to stop, and he unknowingly held his breath as he stared at his nightmares incarnate.

Even through the double colored mask, Robin could practically see the smug smirk of Slade's, and the way his lone eye curled upward in mirth. And as soon as he saw that mask, the panic and fear that he felt diminished, replaced by something that was possibly even more self-destructive.

Red. Hot. Rage.

Robin snarled at the man, and blinded by his anger, tried to stand up, leaning heavily on his injured leg. The adrenalin coursing through his veins kept him standing for a couple seconds. As soon as he attempted to lunge for the mercenary, however, his leg collapsed as the adrenalin alone could not dim all of the burning pain.

The ebony grunted in pain and fury as he collapsed once again, and he growled as he heard Slade's lowly chuckle.

"Nice attempt. But I would be suprised if you manage to use your leg at all the rest of the night." the man paused, gauging the birds reaction (which was a glare that could freeze Hell itself), and continued. "Now, I believe we have some things to discuss, don't you agree?"

"I don't want to speak with you about anything!" Robin snarled, baring his teeth like an angered animal. Slade tilted his head curiously, and simply studied Robin with an amused glint to his eye.

"Well, I don't believe you have a choice in that matter."

Pain erupted in his leg as it was harshly pulled on by the Slade-bot, being dragged toward the mad man. Slade stepped back inside the orange container (which Robin could now see was illuminated by a soft, white glow), and the robot followed him in, Robin thrashing around behind the machine, trying desperately to break free.

It was futile. The rope was still secured tightly around his ankle, and if a bird-a-rang couldn't cut it, then thrashing certainly wouldn't help in the slightest.

Robin heard his friends screaming at him through the mind link, but he couldn't distinguish any of the nonsense. His anger (and panic) had taken over, and that's all he had to focus on.

But as the Slade-bot dropped the coil of rope and exited the container, closing the door behind him, all went silent.

His eyes widening, he tried to reach out to M'gann once again, but was met with more silence. It was with growing dread that he realized this container must have been made specifically for this.

He looked at Slade and saw the man slowly approaching him. The anger ebbing away, fear slowly taking its place, he tried to scramble away from the advancing man. Robin was stopped with a cry of pain as Slade stepped on the coil of rope, making it taunt. He continued forward, and the ebony's breath and heart beat spiked considerably.

He knew that he had to get control of himself. This was exactly how he got into thus the first time, wasn't it? Robin let his emotions take over, disregarding all of his training. But try as he might, the man lurking closer to him seemed to radiate power, and he couldn't help but cower away from it.

It was cowardly, he knew, and definitely not something he was proud of. How is it that just two years ago he went against an entire League of supervillians who had imprisoned the entire Justice League, and this man before him cast even more fear into his heart than the entirety of The Light on that day?

No matter what he tried, the fear was ever present. But, that didn't mean he had to completely give in to that fear.

Once he was standing just behind Robin's feet, he crouched down and stared at the frightened boy in front of him. His eye narrowed, he reached out to the birds head.

Robin, despite dragging some resolve from the depths of his soul to try and crush the fear, flinched as the gloved hand caressed the top of his head, like a master petting it's dog. After a few seconds the hand travelled down to his right cheek, where it rested. Robin stared wide- eyed, holding his breath as he waited for some violent action.

But it never came. Slade stayed stock still, eye narrowed and slightly curious, as Robin almost held his breath in anticipation.

Robin was at a complete loss at what to do. He was alone with Slade, his friends had no idea where he was, and there would be no way to efficiently fight back with an injured leg in such an enclosed space.

Panic constricted his chest painfully once again, and his breath hitched as he heard the man's voice.

"We have a lot to talk about, Apprentice."

 **Yep! A cliffie! This chapter didn't change much, but I still changed it a small amount as Robin seemed a bit too much like a scared little kid. Can't have that now, can we?**

 **Thanks for reading! See Ya in the next chapter!**

 **~Atatami**


	9. Meanwhile…

***REVISED**

 ** _Chapter 9: Meanwhile..._**

 **Alright, before this starts, here is some more answers to reviews!**

 **WimmerSpark: Just a quick question. Not criticizing or anything. But with the way you write Raven and Robins bond, wouldn't Raven be easily locate Robin when he was taken? I'm just curious. That's all...I love your story BTW!**

 **Reply: Aw! Thanks! And Slade also has some tricks up his sleeve...**

 **Davidscrazy234: Make this a Robin x Raven**

 **Reply:...um, nah, I'm good. I see their bond as more of a twin bond, or at the very least sibling bond.**

 **TTandYJforever: Holy Hera you are driving me crazy with your story because I love it so much can't wait for next chapters**

 **Reply: Thank you so much! I love all of you who reply with this kind of motivation and praise so much! All of you are the BEST!!!!!!**

 **Now, on with the chappie!**

Her ears were still ringing and she gingerly lifted herself from the ground, a hand on her left ear. Raven may have been out of range from the brunt of the explosion, but the shock wave blew her into a shipping container, resulting in her momentarily clacking out with the collision.

The girls head throbbed, and she knew already the concussion she suffered from. It was mild, easily fixable once in a secure location, but it still hurt none-the-less.

Now standing, Raven took a moment to access her surroundings, just as her leader taught her.

The shipping container that they were previously on was nothing more than smouldering scrap metal, and the smoke filled the air like a beacon in the sky. Raven saw Kid Flash's out of the corner of her vision, staring at the blaze with suprise and worry. Superboy walked out of the ruins calmly, black splotches and his torn shirt the only evidence of anything wrong. Raven looked to her left, and her eyes widened as she spotted Cyborg face down on the cement, sparks flying off of his body.

Quickly, she flew over, turning him onto his back to see what damage had been done. To her relief it looked worse than it was, as he was simply unconscious with a few malfunctioning circuits.

A flurry of voices then penetrated her mind, causing her to grip the sides of her head at the unwelcome intrusion. Raven knew that the others were simply worried over the sudden explosion, but she did not take kindly to voices in her head.

 _"Hey, where'd Robin go?"_ Kid Flash announced as the other voices quieted. Ravens breath hitched, and she immediately tried to locate Robin with her mind.

Whether it was her concussion, or something else in the area, she found it hard to concentrate enough to preform that level of magic. Although, if she had to guess, Raven would say that Slade knew she would be able to locate Robin fairly quickly, so he would have enabled some sort of ward against her magic.

In order for her to reach out to someone's mind, she would need to concentrate with her entire being, feel the life-force of the person she seeks to find. It takes a great deal of power and magic ability to do, something which Raven was currently struggling with.

With a huff, Raven instead focused on finding wards around the area she may have over-looked. After a quick scan of the shipping yard, sure enough, she found several magical wards that dampened her magical abilities. They were not very strong, and didn't completely cancel out her powers, but they were enough to keep her from finding Robin.

 _"I'm-ah!"_ the other bird exclaimed through the link, and a pang of fear filled Ravens chest.

 _"Robin, what's wrong?"_ she asked in the most frantic voice she has ever expressed. She felt the others through the link equally express their fear, albeit much more openly.

 _"Someone's got my leg."_ he started, an underlying note of panic seeping through. _"Landed on it wrong, and they're pulling me away by rope that wrapped around my ankle. I can't cut it!"_ everyone heard his frustration, but there was only a few that could sense the fear he was pitifully trying to mask.

The only other time Raven found these emotions coming off of her leader was during his forced apprenticeship. Every time the Titans ran into him, his whole mind reeked of fear. Whether it was for the Titans or of Slade was undetermined, but the girl could assume that it was a bit of both.

This only made Ravens desperation to find him increase, along with her frustration at not being able to.

 _"Robin, I can't locate you, there are wards around the docks. You need to tell us where you are."_ The empath stated, but was immediately bombarded with more panic, and a concealed moment of rage.

Her own concern rose when Robin didn't answer.

 _"I can not locate Robin, either. Please, tell us where you are Robin! We'll help you!"_ the Martians voice exclaimed, but once again it yielded no answer from the bird.

 _"Rob!? ROBIN!? Where are you?! Answer us!_ " came Kid Flash's voice, making Raven wince from the volume.

To the empath's relief, Robin responded to Kid Flash's worried tone.

 _"I'm okay, for now. I don't know where I am..."_ Robin trailed, confusion now replacing the other emotions. Raven could only focus on the fact he had not been taken away yet, and knew that if they didn't act fast that would change.

Floating up to get an aerial view of the shipping yard, she scanned the area in hopes of finding her friend. To her dismay, she could only sense the robots, henchmen, and her other team members.

 _"Can you describe your location to us?"_ Aqualad asked, his voice as calm as he could achieve.

 _"I can't. It looks like everything else I've seen here. But there are Slade-bots surrounding me-"_ the Titans in the link tensed at that statement, _"-and one of them is defientetly the one who dragged me here. Wherever 'here' is..."_ Raven felt the panic enveloping the mind link from her fellow Titans, along with the slight confusion from some of the Young Justice members.

 _"Dude, get out of there! What if Slade is close by, too!?_ " Raven mentally rolled her eyes at Beast Boy's exclamation. Wouldn't Robin have been with them if he could?

Raven continued to scan the area with no more success than the first attempt. She growled, and felt the darkness inside of her fighting to come to the surface with her desperation.

She forced it down, but couldn't stop letting a small amount through, and the power surged through her for a moment before it died down.

Raven took a deep breath, and could only feel slightly relieved that no one was close enough to see that momentary loss of control. She had much bigger matters to worry about than than that little slip-up.

Such as the ebony who had gone strangely silent Beast Boy's exclamation.

 _"Robin, you still with us?"_ Artemis asked hesitantly through the link, also noticing the birds silence.

Before anyone could say anything else, a wave of anger washed through the link, and everyone seemed to take a mental step back.

Ravens breath hitched, as she knew exactly what was happening for that much anger to be produced by a single person.

 _"Do not engage. He only wants you to get anger, Robin. Don't let Slade control you. Don't let your emotions control you."_ Raven tried to convey a sense of calm through the link, but only managed to get herself even more enraged as Robin's fury began to swell, infecting her own emotions.

She got no response from the bird, and she tried one more time to scan for his mind. And, once again, she found nothing.

 _"Wait, Robin's with Slade?! Dude, where are you!"_ Kid Flash worriedly exclaimed, but he, too, was met with silence from the ebony.

Everyone seemed to get more desperate at Ravens first proclamation, and filled her mind with similar concern questions, to which Robin never responded to.

M'gann gasped, and Raven felt something in her mind snap. _"Robin! He's been removed from the link!"_ the Martian proclaimed, and at that Ravens control seemed to be lost completely.

She let her emotions rule over her logic, and all of her eyes opened to scan the world around her on multiple plains. The darkness around her converged onto Ravens person, and her power grew in her desperation to find her leader that was most likely in danger.

"Woah! Raven? What are you doing?" Beast Boy asked, and Raven dully noted that the rest of the teams had converged at the location of the explosion.

She heard Zatanna gasp in horror, but ignored that as well. She knew she looked like a monster, but she refused to let Robin be taken by a monster that was worse than her.

Using all of the power she could spare, she stretched her mind as far as it would allow, scanning for areas with the heaviest amounts of wards. Raven could barely hear the other voices in her mind, focusing completely on the task at hand.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven chanted, and sure enough, she managed to locate an area on her left that held many wards. Enough to completely dilute her magic if she went to close.

 _"Robin is to my left, there is a large amount of magical wards preventing me from seeing any further. I would not be able to get in close, and I doubt Zatanna would, either."_ Raven felt a pang of annoyance from the magician, but her horror was still very prominent. The empath questioned that, but quickly wrote it off as her, most likely, demonic appearance.

 _"We shall converge on that location, and we shall rescue our friend, then. Raven, Zatanna, stay here and look after Cyborg."_ Aqualad ordered, and the mind link went silent as the ones on the ground, sans Zatanna, ran off in the direction Raven stated.

Zatanna made her way over to Cyborg, most likely to check for injury, her hands glowing a faint blue. Raven, however, stayed in the air, struggling to once again gain control over her powers.

She chanted her mantra in her mind, until that proved useless. Raven then switched to verbally saying this, and could feel her power slowly diminish as the seconds passed. After a couple deep breaths and more chants, she felt her power and emotions turn back into a blank slate.

Ever so slowly, she floated back down to the ground, a couple yards from where Zatanna was crouched over Cyborg. The magician gave her a look that Raven couldn't distinguish, and she felt herself melt deeper into the confined of her cloak.

She felt ashamed, having to use her darker magic in front of everyone. Raven never wanted anyone to see her in her more demonic form. It made her feel like the person she was trying desperately to bury.

"So, you're…demonic." Zatanna stated softly, refusing to make eye contact with the bird as her hands continued to hover over the cybernetic teen.

Raven nodded slightly, but she didn't know if the magician could see it.

"I should have sensed it, to be honest." Zatanna continued. "Your type of magic usually has a very powerful aura."

"That's why I try to hide it. I...didn't want anyone to see who I truly am." Ravens voice was soft, and Zatanna paused in her work to glance over at the empath, still shrouded in the darkness of her cloak.

"My father always told me that demons were dangerous. That they should be banished whenever we happened across them." Raven tensed at that statement, but didn't show any other reaction.

"He wasn't wrong." the bird whispered, her face now completely invisible beneath her hood. Zatanna simply tilted her head, giving Raven a side-long glance.

They fell into an uncomfortable silence, Zatanna remaining vigil by Cyborgs side, slowly fixing his circuits, while Raven continued to hover nearby.

Zatanna's glowing hands returned to normal, and she hesitantly stood back up, staring at Raven as though she were the plague. Raven sunk even further into her cloak than she thought possible, as she didn't miss the scathing like the magician now threw her.

Distantly they could both hear the sounds of the ensuing battle, but that seemed to be in the back of their minds for the moment.

"I don't trust you. Never did, to be perfectly honest, but now there's no chance." she crossed her arms over her chest as Cyborg groaned on the ground. "You can bet that my father will be hearing about this, as well as the League."

Raven already knew this, and had accepted it. She knew it would only be a matter of time before her team found out, and they surely wouldn't want her then. She already had pre-planned places to go when they inevitably hated her.

Raven gave a slight nod, but said nothing else.

"And if you _ever_ hurt Robin, or anyone for that matter, you can bet there will consequences."

 **Don't worry, Slade and Robin will return next chapter.**

 **~Atatami**


	10. What is He Going To Do?

**_Chapter 10:_ What is He Going to do?**

 _Robin was at a complete loss at what to do. He was alone with Slade, his friends had no idea where he was, and there would be no way to efficiently fight back with an injured leg in such an enclosed space._

 _Panic constricted his chest painfully once again, and his breath hitched at the man's voice._

 _"We have a lot to talk about, **Apprentice**."_

The teen's mind was in complete turmoil as Slade slowly retracted his hand. It caused a pang of brief relief to flow through him, but it instantly disappeared as Robin saw Slade made no move to distance himself any further. He simply stayed in front of him, his eyes narrowed as he studied the teen, like a predator would its prey.

Robin's heart felt as though it was beating out of his chest from adrenaline. His breathing was erratic, going from silent to ragged in a matter of seconds. His eyes were wide and remained on the single one that was trained directly at him.

Yet, even though he was panicked, there was always a defiant glint in his eye. Slade surely saw it, but chose to address Robin's other primary emotion instead.

"I don't wish to hurt you, Robin, I merely wish to talk about your options for the future." Slade said this as casually as a parent would talk to a teen about college, and that seemed to scare the bird even more, if that was even possible. "You see, you have many paths in front of you that can be taken, but which one will you go towards? I want you to mull over that question after our little chat," then, adding dryly, "think you will be able to manage that?"

Robin's brain was currently out the window, and he found himself slowly nodding. Slade seemed to smirk from the slight curve of his eye, and then stood to his full height, his dark shadow enveloping the teen in his own miniature darkness.

The bird could tell the mercenary was smirking behind the mask. The familiarity of this action, one he has seen countless times in all of their scuffle's, seemed to make some of the fear turn back into defiant anger. He managed to give a weak glare in the man's direction.

Slade gave a slight huff of amusement. "I see that you are finally coming back to your senses. I must say, with the bravado act you put up on the field, I wouldn't pin you as someone who got so easily paralyzed by fear. Must fix that." he clasped his hands behind his back, another familiar act.

Robin had now gained control of his breathing yet again, and even though his fear was still very much present, the anger was starting to take over, slowly enveloping the fear in a red hot blanket.

The ebony moved backwards towards the wall and away from the man. Slade simply watched, intrigued as Robin pushed up against the wall of the shipping container with his good leg and attempted to stand. He managed to get to his feet, but when he attempted to put weight on his injured leg, he let out a pained gasp and it immediately buckled beneath him.

Robin growled. He felt so helpless, at the mercy of this man. Fighting back would be fruitless against his kind of skills. Tears of frustration began to pool in his eyes, but he refused to acknowledge them. His head hung low, his ebony locks falling over his eyes, and his breathing was now more ragged from the pain rather than panic. He couldn't care less that he could no longer see the man.

"My friends will come. Whatever you're planning, it won't work." the ebony said this in a tone that seemed he was also trying to convince himself. But even Slade couldn't miss the rage seeping into his words, the last one coming out in more of a snarl.

Slade said nothing, simply tilted his head in a curious manner, still studying the 'hero' in front of him.

The mercenary took a step closer to Robin, who immediately snapped his masked eyes back up. They narrowed as he came to stand only a foot away, that analytical eye never leaving Robin's face.

"I know that those other sidekicks will come for you, I'm counting on it, actually. However, I wouldn't go so far as calling them your friends." this made Robin's eyes narrow even further, and a snarl now openly adorned his lips.

"You don't know anything about them." he spat, glaring at Slade with much more conviction than before.

Slade can ridicule and torture him all he wanted, but Robin's friends were off limits. They were like a third family, an extension of himself. If any comments about them were made, you can bet there would be hell to pay from Robin.

The mercenary, however, didn't seem to catch on, or in the more likely case, simply didn't care. He simply met the birds steely gaze head on, not in the least bit intimidated by what was most likely a pitiful display in front of him. They stayed like that, Slade's body shadowing Robin's hunched figure, before the man began to speak.

"I'm afraid I do." he said softly, in an almost sympathetic voice that got Robin somewhat confused. Slade? And sympathy? Those words shouldn't be in the same sentence.

"Yeah, I know, you're a stalker and probably know how to beat all of them in a battle." Slade simply sighed slightly and gently shook his head.

"That's not what I meant. Tell me, Robin, when you first went out on your own, which of these 'friends' came to try and bring you back?" Robin opened his mouth to reply, but, he realized that he couldn't give an answer that wouldn't prove his point.

His breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened. No one came for him. Not even Batman came, and the only one who ever attempted to keep him close was Alfred. And Robin was so bitter at the time he never returned any calls, and eventually the Englishman stopped calling altogether, probably figuring he was a lost cause.

Desperately he tried to sort through his memory to a time where anyone, anyone besides Alfred, anyone he knew in the superhero community, or just someone he was close to, tried to bring him back.

Nothing came to mind. It was saddening to think about, but that's exactly why he left. Robin knew he wasn't going to reach his full potential with his 'friends' holding him back.

That's why he created the Titans. He wouldn't go as far as saying they were substitutes for his old team members, but so far they proved much more loyal than Young Justice. They came after him when he disappeared, and actually worried when he didn't seem to be himself.

They cared, even if no one else would.

"The Titans are-"

"Your team, yes," Slade interuppted, making Robin growl lowly at him. "but did you ever stop and really think if you were anything more to them besides their leader?" at this, Robin raised a slightly curious eyebrow.

Slade was definitely acting strange. Why exactly hadn't he dragged Robin off to his lair, yet. He did want him as his apprentice again, didn't he?

"Not...really..." Robin found himself hesitantly answering, still confused as he could tell the man was now smirking beneath the mask.

"Well, maybe you should. Are they really your friends, or are they simply fiercely loyal to their leader? I have already shown you that your previous 'friendships' meant nothing, so why would the Titans be any different? I believe that in the beginning of your Young Justice, most of you weren't acquainted, but you were all loyal to the Atlantian."

"But then we became close, over time." Robin rebutled, but Slade merely shook his head again.

"Yes, and that bond was put to the test when you ran off. Does it look like any one of your 'friends' passed that test? You Titans have been together for barely a year, and the people you have known for the majority of your life abandoned you when you left the safety of the nest." Robin stayed silent now, mulling over these things very carefully.

He knew that Slade was trying to manipulate him, twist his thoughts, but he couldn't help but see what he was saying.

Robin has known Kid Flash since he was ten, and they fought together for years. He saw Wally as a brother, and what did he do when Robin suddenly stopped coming to the Mountain?

Nothing. No calls, no attempts at contact, and no attempted mental communication from the link.

In fact, the only person in the superhero community who even bothered talked to him after he ran away was Roy, who called him briefly to congratulate him for growing up and seeing the real picture, before he hastily hung up.

But the Titans were different, weren't they? They didn't have mentors or any adult figures in their life that could possibly sway their opinion and stop them from doing certain things. All they had were each other and their city. They saw him as more than just a leader they needed to obey and protect. They had to.

Starfire was always exclaiming how great of a friend he was. Beast Boy and Cyborg always begged him to play video games. Raven taught him how to handle his emotions and was supporting him when they arrived at Mount Justice. Those are all things that friends did, not team members simply loyal to their leader. Right?

Though, he had done similar things with Young Justice, and they turned their back on him when he left. What if the Titans were just the same, and they only came after him because they couldn't function without him? Was he just a chess piece that they need to win?

Robin quickly shook his head. Slade was getting to him. Putting thoughts into his head that weren't his. He couldn't let the enemy get to him like that. He was taught better.

Slade brought his index and middle finger to rest beneath the ebony's chin, and lifted it up so Robin could meet that single, grey eye.

"I do not like seeing you suffer this way. Being deceived in the worst of ways. As my apprentice, I can assure you that I will never abandon you as your fellow sidekicks have. I can give you what you need, what you deserve." Slade paused, studying Robin's now stony face for a reaction of some sort. When he saw none, he continued. "All I would ask in return was your undeniable loyalty."

Robin simply stood stock still and looked deep into that lone eye.

With all the jumbled thoughts flitting around his head, Robin unconsciously found himself thinking about the man's offer.

He thought back to his previous apprenticeship, how horrible he felt. Wearing Slades colors made him mortified, and the haunted looks on the Titans faces would forever remain in his memories.

But that was when he was unwilling. When Slade commented that he enjoyed stealing for him, he didn't admit it right away, but when he was alone in the Tower, rescued from the man, he found that he actually did. It gave him the same thrill that stopping muggers did, but in a new way. An almost better way.

If Robin was willingly the man's apprentice, things would no doubt be different. Lives wouldn't be hanging in the balance. He could focus on actually learning from the man, as even Robin couldn't deny that the mercenary was a master in almost every fighting style, almost better than Batman.

He shouldn't be thinking about this. Slade managed to get inside his head, and now he was pulling strings, just like he wanted to be.

A sudden explosion sounded from close by, followed by sounds of a fight. Robin knew it was the Titans and Young Justice, but for some reason he couldn't feel relieved just yet.

Slade took a step away, and turned around towards the small light. When he was right beside it, he turned back to Robin, who was still leaning up against the side of the container, his weight entirely on his good leg.

"Of course, this is quite a big decision to be made. So I will give you two weeks to make up your mind. If you choose the right path for your future, I will be waiting for you." with this Slade reached out and smashed the small light, leaving Robin in pitch darkness. There was no sound to indicate the man left, but the ebony could tell when he was no longer with him.

But despite the mercenary leaving, and the sounds of the fight dissipating around him, he couldn't move from his place. His arms came around him and he hugged himself tightly. The darkness enveloped him, and as he clenched his eyes shut, feeling tears beginning to build once again, he slid to the floor of the container, ignoring the panicked voices that called his name. Robin couldn't see them right now, not so soon after Slade put all of these doubts into his mind.

The little bird had a lot to think about in the next two weeks.

 **Our favorite bird is going to absolutely hate me for the emotional roller coaster I am about to make him go through.**

 **~Atatami**


	11. Here We Go

**_Chapter 11:_ Here We Go**

"Robin! Please, are you in the vicinity!?" Starfire yelled, frantically flying around the shipping containers for any sign of her lost friend. "Robin!"

Beast Boy was running along side of her, in the form of a bloodhound sniffing furiously along the ground.

The battle had been short and fast, everyone wanting to get to Robin as soon as possible. The Slade-bots didn't stand a chance against all of their powers, and were quickly overwhelmed and destroyed.

Now the only problem they were having was actually finding the Boy Wonder. It had been about ten minutes since the battle had ended. M'gann's mind link was still absent of Robin's presence, and the distraught Superboy claimed that he hadn't been able to hear anyone talking or Robin's heartbeat. Super girl had the same luck.

This sent Starfire off immediately in search, and the other were not far behind. Everyone was in a frenzy trying to find the Titan's leader, especially the Titan's themselves.

The Young Justice team may be Robin's friends, but they had no idea of the real stakes. What could really happen if Slade got his hands on the Boy Wonder.

Below her Beast Boy changed back to his regular form, still crouched on the ground. His ears were pointed down, and even from the air Starfire could see the fear and panic in the young boys eyes.

"Robin, dude! C'mon, this isn't funny! Answer us, bro!" he called out, ears perking to hear a possible answer. After a solid ten seconds of silence, his ears dropped again and he went back to sniffing the ground as a bloodhound.

Starfire felt tears well in her eyes. Robin was not answering any of them, which likely meant he was gone. And so soon after they had gotten him back. He was back in the grasp of the terrible mercenary.

The Tamaranian took a deep breath and shook her head. She would not fail to find her good friend because she was blinded by sadness. The only way she would leave this place was if Robin was with her.

With new-found determination, she flew off again to search for her missing leader and Slade. They would find him, no matter what.

M'gann suddenly gasped in the mind link, and Starfire felt a another person join the link. _"Robin! Where are you!? Are you alright?!"_ the Martian exclaimed, and soon the link was filled with worried voices, including her own.

Starfire could have fainted from relief. If Robin was able to connect to the link, then surely he was still in the area. She stopped flying immediately, dropping down besides Beast Boy who had yet again returned to human form.

There was a brief silence in her mind as they all waited with baited breath for Robin to say something. To say anything. Just to confirm that he was alright and not in danger.

 _"...I'm fine, guys. Slade is gone."_ Robin's voice was small, and the sentence came out as a whisper that barely touched their minds.

Starfire frowned, her forehead crinkling in worry. That certainly did not sound like the bot she had become friends with. It sounded like a child desperate to be left alone.

Beast Boy frowned beside her, glancing up at her and giving a confused and worried look. It seemed that Beast Boy had also caught onto the tone of voice.

 _"Robin, are you sure you are the oh-kay? You do not sound like yourself."_ She paused, wondering how to phrase the question she wanted so dearly to ask, bit knew she couldn't without revealing the apprenticeship to the other team.

That had confused her as well. She knew that Robin was still hurting, but did not understand why he kept the hurt hidden from his other friends. Or why he did not want them to know about the incident that happened only a month ago. Would that knowledge help the others understand exactly what Slade was up to? Would that not help in the capture of the criminal?

But she needed to ask. If not for her peace of mind, then for the Titan's. _"Did Slade...attempt to..."_ She trailed, and could physically feel the way everyone tensed over the link. The Young Justice team were confused, but the phrase concerned them nonetheless.

There was a palpable moment of silence before Robin answered. _"...Yeah. But...I managed to get away."_

 _"Robin, what exactly are you and your team referring to._ " Kaldur spoke. It was phrased like a question, but everyone could hear that it was quite clearly a demand. And they could also feel the spike of anger from Robin's connection.

 _"I don't have to tell you anything. You aren't my leader, Aqualad. Back off."_ Robin spat, and Starfire felt her eyes widen at his tone.

She had only heard that tone one other time, and that was when they tried to make Robin stay behi d while they went to go find Slade and destroy the cronotan detonator. The same day...

 _"Geez, calm down, Rob. It was only a question."_ Kid Flash said, his tone sounding a bit hurt.

Starfire was a bit confused as to why he sounded hurt. Was it not the Atlantian who had asked the question? But she did not question it, as it was obvious Robin had known this boy for quite some time.

 _"I'm making my way to where we were blown up. Then, we are leaving."_ Robin was curt, and ignored Kid Flash's statement completely. Starfire could feel the speedsters sadness wash over her, and she found herself reciprocating the feeling.

Robin was finally getting better. He was just starting to put the entire apprenticeship behind him, and now this? Why did they even get involved? This was doing nothing to help her leader. It was simply making things much worse, and putting Robin in even more danger!

 _"Didn't you hurt your leg?_ " Supergirl asked, sounding extremely hesitant.

 _"I'm managing. Let's just get out of here."_ Starfire also knew that tone. It was the one he used when he was hurting more than he wanted people to know.

She sighed, and locked eyes with Beast Boy for a moment before he turned into an eagle and started to fly towards the smoke collum still rising towards the sky. Starfire followed after, her worry still as strong as ever.

All she wanted was for Robin to be happy. And so far, the only time he had shown true joy was when he was with Kid Flash.

This entire situation was not going as planned. Granted, not one of the Titan's thought that this would be a simple job. They knew Slade, and they knew there would be complications. They also knew he would go after Robin, and yet they let him.

A sudden though struck her, and it was startling enough to almost make her flight falter. It was only now that she realized what Robin had said did not make any sense. She was just too relieved in the moment to notice.

Robin had said that Slade had gone. There was no possible way that the mercenary would simply leave the Boy Wonder when he was alone and defenseless. And how exactly did he manage to get away, when he had an injured leg? Robin was the most skilled on their team, but Slade was faster. And stronger. As much as she believed in her leader, Starfire doubted Robin could have escaped.

Which could only mean Robin was lying. It was something that Starfire did not like, but she knew there would be no talking about it until she could get them somewhere private.

For now, she focused on the figure on the ground growing steadily larger, and how he looked to be mostly alright.

"Robin!" Starfire cried, and before she could think she was in front of the teen and wrapped her arms around him. Her joy dampened when she did not feel his arms around her in return.

She floated back, now hesitant as she looked at her leader up close. Starfire could not see any sort of emotion on his face, and only saw that he was indeed favouring his right leg.

"Robin?" the Tamaranian saw Raven, Cyborg, and Zatanna out of the corner of her eye, all running towards them. But her main focus was Robin.

He looked at her for a moment, and then his expression softened. "Hey, Star. I'm okay."

Starfire smiled, but she could see that everything was definitely not the oh-kay.

But everything she wanted to say would have to wait, as soon everyone was in the small clearing and bombarding Robin with hugs (that he looked very reluctant to be a part of) and smiles of relief.

He answered every question directed at him in short, clipped tones, and his entire body was stiff. Everyone seemed to finally catch on that he did not want to talk. Finally, they all silently filed onto the Bioship, all of them aware of the awkwardness and tension.

Starfire opted to fly back on her own, as did Supergirl and Beast Boy. It didn't seemed that either of the three wanted to be stuck in a confined space with that kind of atmosphere.

It also gave Starfire more time to think, and think she did. She thought about how she was going to approach Robin after everything settled down. She thought about what really happened between Robin and Slade. She thought about what could have possibly been said for Robin to have been let go by Slade.

The Tamaranian took a deep breath full of the fresh sea air, following the Bioship closely and with Supergirl on her right side and Beast Boy on her left.

She had a lot that she needed to talk to Robin about.

But as the Mountain slowly came into view, she could not fathom how wrong things were about to turn when they landed.

 **WOAH OMG ITS FINALLY A CHAPTER FOR THIS BOOK. HOLY CRAP I KNOW.**

 **Welcome back to 'Changing Tides'! It's been A WHILE. And I would like to sincerely apologize for that, but guess what? I FINALLY HAVE THE PLOT FOR THIS STORY DOWN. YAS.**

 **It took a while, but it happened. I'm so excited to be writing this again! I would suggest not expecting regular updates, however, as I don't really have any set schedule for any of the my books.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter! It was relatively short, and it was interesting writing in the sort-of perspective of Starfire, but I thought it would be best to ease back into this a bit. This will probably be the only chapter with her as 'lead'.**

 **See Ya next time!**

 **~Atatami**


	12. Brought to Light

**Okay, I was re-reading the last chapter and yeesh, it was actually really bad. SO MANY TYPOS. And the style really just fell short.**

 **So sorry about that, but this one is bound to be a thousand times better than the monstrosity that was the last chapter.**

 **HERE COMES THE ANGST TRAIN, BEEP BEEP MOTHER F'S**

 ** _Chapter 12:_ Brought to Light**

Numb. The only emotion he seemed capable of feeling other than anger and fear. No joy, no happiness, not even a small pang of sadness. Just numb.

This wasn't even the worst part, either. Robin knew that as soon as he got into the mountain, the League would be waiting for them. Just like they always used to. They would ask-no, demand-to know what went wrong, how they could have messed up such a mission. Require a full report from everyone.

He would lie. He couldn't tell them about Slade, their history, the apprenticeship. Robin didn't want their pity. He would stick to his story-captured, fought back, escaped.

His team would never believe it. Luckily, though, they weren't the ones he would be trying to convince. And as long as he ordered his team not to say a word about their history, everything would be completely fine.

So why did Robin still feel so numb? He should be relieved that his old team and the League would be off his back. But he wasn't.

There was a haze clouding his vision, unfocused as it was. Robin stared at nothing, the red and black floor of the Bioship swirling in his view. He knew that others were looking at him, but Robin couldn't bring himself to care.

For a moment, the numbness seemed to part, only for Slade's shadow to take its place. Robin could feel it consuming him, racing until it covered every inch of his mind, body, and spirit. Robin could never escape. He didn't know why he thought he could.

He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to make this decision. Everything Slade stood for was what Robin had been fighting against for the majority of his life.

How could something like Slade's offer ever seem appealing?

But it did. For a split second, in the midst of Slade's manipulation, it made perfect sense. Robin found himself wondering why he was even fighting it. The offer sounded like something he had always wanted, but had never pursued.

Even now, Robin found a deep, dark crevice of his mind whispering to him the implications of Slade's apprenticeship. How much he could learn. The new thrills he could experience. How good he could-...would be by Slade's side. The stability of knowing that no matter what, that person would never abandon you.

Robin screwed his eyes shut, forcing anything else he could grasp to fill the void and the terrible, awful voice that whispered to him. He searched for something, any emotion he could latch on to, and finally found a shred of anger. He pulled it towards him with rigor.

A knot formed in Robin's chest, right above his heart, and he channeled that anger even more. It was an emotion, a feeling, and it chased away the voice and the numbness. It was the only thing he had.

Robin felt the Bioship land, and popped his eyes open to hear the latch open behind him. No one was eager to leave, but Aqualad took the lead and walked down the ramp first. The rest of Young Justice followed, albeit hesitantly.

Kid Flash stopped for a moment in the doorway, glancing over his shoulder at Robin. The Boy Wonder threw a glare at him in return. The speedster visibly flinched, eyes filled with hurt, before making his retreat out of the ship.

Robin stood, the knot still tight in his chest. Now that the anger was driving him, he felt like he was much more in control. The numb was frightening, and he never wanted to feel it again.

If that meant replacing it with anger, or fear or pain, than so be it. No matter the effect to him or the people around him.

Because he couldn't really call them his friends anymore, could he? At least what Slade said of that was true about his old team.

Robin felt a presence on his right, and looked up into the grim face of Cyborg. The robotic teen seemed considerate, and gave Robin a small nod and a tight shoulder squeeze before heading down the ramp himself.

What Slade said about the Titans, however, was an entirely different matter. Robin was in complete denial at the man's words. He refused to believe that his new friends were just simply loyal to their leader, and only kept him around because they couldn't function without him. That as soon as they were ready to get a new leader or got too tired of him they would abandon him just like everyone else had in his life like his parents and Haley and Bruce and Alfred and his team-

Robin's eyes snapped to the side as he felt a slender hand gently land on his right shoulder. Raven was staring at him, her hood down, violet eyes wide and filled with worry.

"Robin?" was all she said, his name nothing more than a whisper. "You feel..."

He was frozen for a moment, and then realized that frozen was bad. Frozen let the numb sink back in. So, as he felt the anger slipping away he latched his teeth into it with new vigor.

Robin ripped his shoulder out from her hand and shrugged past her. "Leave it, Raven. Not in the mood."

He didn't turn back to see her expression, but he could feel the hurt, the anger, the confusion and, most prevalent, the worry eminatting off of her.

Robin kept walking. He couldn't deal with her right now. He needed to brace himself for the hell fire he knew he was going to be walking into.

"Report. Now." There it was. That scathing voice, demanding complete and total cooperation. Added to Batman's imposing figure, with Black Canary and Superman at his side, it would have been enough to intimidate anyone.

Too bad he wasn't anyone. Robin grew up with this man as a mentor, and if that didn't scare him then it certainly wouldn't now.

The Boy Wonder opened his mouth, sarcastic retort on the tip of his tongue, but Kaldur interupted before he could utter a single word.

"We were unprepared," the Atlantian began, all of Young Justice filtered behind him with various degrees of shame. The Titans sat awkwardly to the side with Robin, between the Leaguer's and Young Justice. "Slade caught us off guard with a strategically placed explosion."

"Seriously, it was like that guy knew exactly what our plan was. Kinda creepy, to be perfectly honest." KF interrupted, shrinking back again when Batman leveled him a glare.

"We were seperated, and while we were attempting to regain our bearings Robin was cut off from contact." Aqualad paused for a moment, glancing over at the other teens briefly before continuing. "None of us are entirely sure what happened between Slade and Robin in those moments of silence, but we are glad to report minimal injury, even if the mission was not a success."

All of the eyes turned towards Robin, and he felt his body go stiff. Batman gave him a sharp look, eyes raking over his body to scan for any noticeable injuries, before meeting the teens furious gaze once again.

There was silence as ex-mentor and mentee stared each other down, everyone waiting for one to make a move.

"Explain." Batman finally barked, never breaking eye contact.

Robin crossed his arms, hands clenched into fists, refusing to back down. The anger that swirled inside pooled deeper, the knot in his chest growing ever so tighter.

"I got captured, we fought, and I escaped. Not much to explain." Batman's eyes hardened at the teens biting tone.

"I doubt you were able to successfully defeat Deathstroke by yourself, with an injured leg no less. What really happened." The man stated, his expression becoming noticeably blank.

That meant bad things. The blank stare most likely meant that Batman was figuring things out, and they were slowly coming together like a confusing puzzle. And Robin could not let Batman fully construct that puzzle.

Stick to the story. If really needed, have the Titans as back-up. Surely they would play along, right?

"I don't know what you want me to say. You asked what happened, and I told you. Believe me or not, I don't really care." Robin spat, watching as the blank expression failed to so much as twitch.

By Batman's side, Black Canary looked ready to interject, but the man refused to let her. His gaze switched from Robin to Cyborg, who stood at the teen left.

"Do you believe him?" he asked gruffly, and the cybernetic teens eyes widened before flicking back and forth between his leader and the infamous Leaguer.

Robin shot Cyborg a plea, hoping that he would stay loyal to the team. Stay loyal to him, and his wishes.

The larger teen looked conflicted. Ten seconds passed in silence, his gaze going from Robin to Batman and back again. Finally, Robin managed to catch his eyes, and he tried to convey how important this was to him.

He tried to let the elder teen see the desperation, and the promise to tell them what really happened later if they would just keep up the charade. It wouldn't be pushed too much if the Titans only believed in him.

Something in Cyborgs eye changed, like a wall was being put up. Robin could have sighed with relief as he saw him square his shoulders and turn back to Batman. But before he could utter a single word, another, smaller voice spoke.

"No." Beast Boy whispered, gaining all the attention. He flushed a bit, but steeled himself and continued, stronger. "No, I don't believe him. And...and I doubt anyone else does either."

Robin stood frozen, staring blankly at Beast Boys determined gaze. He could see the shine in the boys eyes as they locked gazes, and Robin felt the swelling stab of betrayal as those bright green orbs stared into him.

"Beast Boy is right, Robin." Aqualad interjected softly, giving the smaller teen a pitying look. "We would like to know what really happened between you and Slade, and...and the history you and the Titans share with this man."

He said it so gently, that Robin could almost believe he cared. For him and his team. Too bad he knew better.

"Our history is none of your business, you have no right to know." Robin hissed back. Eyes all around the room widened at the blatant vehemence of scorn woven into Robin's tone.

And yet, Batman still stood stock still, not even batting an eye. That alone made Robins temper flare more, and he opened his mouth to reinstate his point when a soft voice spoke to his side.

"My friend, I know this subject is most distressing for you, but perhaps it may be good to tell them of our past encounters." Of all people, Starfire was betraying him. Sweet, innocent Starfire.

Deep down, Robin knew she was merely trying to help resolve the feeling tensions, but that didn't bring any comfort. The knife in his heart twisted deeper, and with one look at Cyborg he could tell that he had sided with Beast Boy and Starfire as well.

But he still had Raven. She had yet to speak, keeping her violet eyes centered on the floor beneath her, hood up to cast shadow over her face.

"Tell the truth." Batman suddenly said, and all heads whipped towards him. Robin simply intensified his glare. "Were you or were you not the one to break into Wayne Enterprises and steal a military grade piece of technology."

Robin's breath stuttered, and he could physically feel the Titans beside him all go into some forms of shock. His vision filled with white for a moment, only able to focus on the black figure across the room. The other occupants had similar reactions, ranging from confusion to blatant shock.

The teens mouth was suddenly dry, and he worked to swallow. He could feel his face get slightly paler as his vision finally came back. Robin's arms came around to tightly grip his biceps.

"It…it wasn't what it looked like…I didn't…" he tried to say, but it only came out in a rasp. All the rage and betrayal Robin felt before drained out of his body and was replaced by dread and fear.

This is the conversation he hoped would never happen. The one time he hoped Batman wouldn't have kept a close eye on one of his buildings across the country. He was a fool to think that Batman wouldn't notice.

"Robin, what's he talking about? Stealing? That's…" Wally trailed, looking desperately to Robin for an explanation. One that would mean there had been some misunderstanding.

Robin shook his head and closed his eyes tight, feeling his stomach rebelling against him. He didn't want to talk about it, not in front of everyone. That whole experience was traumatic enough.

"Robin, what exactly happened that night, two months ago. Why did you illegally break in to a multi-billion dollar company. " Batman needed to stop. "Why were you attempting to steal." Robin couldn't take it anymore. "Why were you wearing Deathstrokes colours." Stop. "And why did you fight your team with the viciousness of a stranger."

Something inside him snapped. Robin's eyes flew open and a new, burning fire ignited inside of him. It spread like gasoline, light up every part of his body as he whipped to face Batman.

"I DIDN'T HAVE ANY CHOICE!" Robin screeched, waiting for any type of reaction from Batman. And yet, nothing happened. He was still completely apathetic, the bastard. "My friends were going to die. They were going to die and it was going to be all. My. Fault!" he gasped for a breath for continuing. "What else was I supposed to do?! Let them die, like you would have?!"

Robin heaved for breath, chest rising and falling rapidly. He glanced over every shocked and horrified face in the room, pausing briefly when he saw the tears in both M'gann and Wally's eyes. But his attention was ripped away when he heard Black Canary's heels clicking across the floor towards him.

"Robin, you need to calm down." she said in her best therapist voice. That voice only served to piss Robin off even more, and she paused when she was still three metres away.

"No, I don't need to calm down! You wanted to know the history that Slade and I have? Well, now you know!"

There was a small hand on his shoulder, and he peered up into Starfire's worried gaze. "Robin…"

He wrenched his shoulder out from underneath her hold, glaring. "This is what you wanted, isn't it? For me to come clean? There I've done it, now just…" he paused, feeling exhaustion from the outburst quickly floor him. Robin sagged and felt his cape come around his shoulders, almost like a blanket. He let out a small sigh. "Leave me alone. Think whatever you want-hero, villain-I don't care. I'm…done."

With that he trudged out of the hangar, all eyes watching him limp into the shadows of the Mountain. Black Canary suddenly whipped around, stalking back towards Batman. Fury dominated her face.

"Dinah-" Superman warned, but was interrupted as a sharp clap rang through out the cavern.

Batman's head barely moved from the vicious slap given by the Canary, and they locked eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Could you not see he was struggling? Do his feelings really mean that little to you?" she hissed before stalking out of the room herself in the opposite direction. Before she left she spat "God Damnit" into the air, no doubt intended for Batman.

A red mark was slowly forming on this visible side of Batman's chin, but he did not react. He gave both Young Justice and the Teen Titans a glare before sweeping off in the direction of his wayward ward.

"Debriefing dismissed. Head to your quarters immediately." was the only parting words before Batman, too, was engulfed in shadow.

 **Okay, kinda awkward place to end, but if it didn't end there this chapter would end up probably being 7,000 words.**

 **Sorry for the really slow updates, life is really kicking my ass at the moment. Thanks for all of you that are still here, I love all of you with all my heart.**

 **~Atatami**


	13. Guilt

**Thank you everyone who is still here. The support for this story is actually mind blowing, and I'm really sorry I can't be more reliable with my updates.**

 **I hope you enjoy this one though.**

 **Chapter 13:** ** _Guilt_**

Everyone in the hangar slowly trickled off to their respective rooms, the tension around each of them still thick, until the only ones still remaining were Kid Flash and the Titans, sans Raven, who disappeared into a vortex of shadow soon after Batman stalked away.

Kid Flash sat in the solitary green chair, head resting on his right hand. The remaining Titan's were seated on the couch, with Beast Boy in the form of a small kitten on Starfire's lap.

"I just...don't get it." Wally finally whispered, gaining the attention of the equally sullen Titan's. "Why...why did he keep that from us? From...from me..." he trailed, voice breaking.

Cyborg sighed. "I don't know, man, Robin is a complicated guy. He sure likes his secrets."

"Yeah, but...he never used to keep big stuff from me. Heck, I know we've really grown apart, but still...I thought that he would trust me."

The metallic teen hummed, and they fell into yet another silence until Starfire spoke. "I do not believe Robin was trying to harm anyone by keeping secrets. He merely wants to protect everyone by keeping them away." she sniffed and ran a hand through Beast Boys fur. A purr was emitted, but his ears still stayed flattened to his head.

"But why?" Wally stood, starting to pace in front of the couch. "He was always secretive, he kinda had to be, but never like this. Never! So...what changed that?"

"Beats me, he's been that way since we've formed the Titans." Cyborg admitted.

Beast Boy suddenly leaped off of Starfire and onto the ground, where he reverted back to his original form. "Yeah, at first I thought it was just because we were new people, y'know? Can't ever be too safe with our jobs. But it's gotten pretty bad. Obviously."

Wally stopped pacing, his eyes widening. He took a deep breath, and had to steel himself before the tears he could feel behind his eyes escaped. "It's...it's our fault." he whispered.

"What? How in the world could it be your guys' fault? He hasn't seen you guys in almost two...years..." Beast Boy trailed, realization slowly filling his features, along with the others.

"We never went after him, when he ran away. No one did. And no one knows what happened between Batman and Robin." Wally could have slapped himself. How could he be so stupid as to think that not going after Robin was a good idea?

The red head could still remember that day. Robin came by the cave, grabbed everything from the room he was given, and left. Wally questioned it, and Robin had snapped in reply that he 'was done'. At that time he had no idea what the Boy Wonder was talking about, so he let it drop and watched him leave the cave.

When Robin didn't return, and news got out that only Batman was patrolling Gotham, Wally thought that maybe Robin took a break. God knew the kid needed it.

But then the absence got longer, and Wally's worry grew. He asked Barry, and any other Leaguer who would talk to him, but they were just as clueless as he was. Wally was thinking about going out a looking for him when Batman, during a mission report, answered that 'Robin is no longer on active duty, and I do not know of his whereabouts. He doesn't want to be found, and he won't be'.

That was it. And for two years that was enough, especially when Wally saw that he was indeed alive and had started a new team across the country. Everything seemed, at the very least, okay.

He couldn't have been further from the truth.

Because of everyone's inaction, Robin probably thought they all abandoned him as soon as he left the team. Like he was just a spare part of the team, and not a real friend. Wally knew that he would have felt that way.

Young Justices ignorance coupled with Robins past and the fallout with Batman all shaped how he acted now.

"I'm so stupid! How could I just think that he would be fine!? He was fourteen! Fourteen! And especially after everything he went through and whatever happened with Batman, he needed us...he needed me! But what did I do?! I let him walk out of here like it was nothing!" Wally exclaimed, gripping his hair in tight fists. "I should have gone after him! We were his team, how could we just let him leave!? How were we so stupid and naive!? And now..." he trailed, the wetness in his eyes building. "Now its too late."

"No." Starfire said, eyes filled with determination. "You and your team may have made a mistake, yes, but that does not mean defeat." She looked at the other teens around her, and felt herself lifting off of the couch to hover in the air. "Friend Robin is close with us, is he not? Perhaps not as close as we would like to wish, but it is still something." She floated over to Kid Flash and placed a delicate hand on his shoulder. "And I am sure that whatever damage has been done between you and Robin can be mended. It may be a long time, but I have no doubt it can be achieved."

"Yeah!" Beats Boy exclaimed, jumping off the floor with his ears perked up. "Robin just needs some good old fashioned friendship bonding! ...And probably some serious therapy. But we can at least help him get over his trust issues!"

"Oh yeah, I'm totally in. No way am I givin' up on my leader!" Cyborg cheered, Starfire giggling at their antics.

Wally could feel the tears slowly start to move down his face. Yet, there was the faintest hints of a smile on his lips.

Maybe things were broken. And maybe they would never be the same again, all because Wally was a complete and utter idiot. But at least there still seemed to be hope that things could get better.

And for Wally, that was enough.

 **Okay, really short chapter, but I've been meaning to add more (which hasn't been happening) and what I wanted to add would make this REALLY long, so I've decided to just postpone the second part that was meant to be a part of this.**

 **Plus, I think that the next part kinda deserves it's own chapter for the dramatics :)**

 **Once again, thanks to all who have been giving feedback and supporting the story. Couldn't do it without you guys.**

 **~Atatami**


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